Time Travel, Marauders, The Harry Potter Books
by NightTeen
Summary: Reading of the Harry Potter books fifth through seventh, includes Slytherins and has a side plot too and no its not romantic, for Harry at least. noncanon ending. future change? Hiatus
1. Dudley Demented

'Pop'

A dark haired man appeared in an empty room. He looked around, confusion filling his face.

'Pop'

A group of three boys and a red head appeared in the room with the first person, they all looked around in confusion too. Then they spotted the first man, not knowing what to do they walked over to him and tried to get his attention. He didn't seem to see them and just stared blankly at the wall, his face covered in grief.

'Pop'

A teenager with black hair and silver and green robes appeared.

'Pop'

A blond teenager in silver and green robes appeared next to the other teenager in green and silver robes.

'Pop'

A green haired woman appeared floating in the room, with a strange looking creature on her shoulder. The other teenagers took no notice of her so she pulled out a silver object from her pocket. A sharp whistling noise filled the room and six teenagers looked towards her in surprise.

"Alright listen up! My name is Kairoi. I have brought you all here because I am a supreme goddess with hidden agendas and would like to use you all for my own evil purposes."

Seeing the look on their faces Kairoi laughed loudly.

"Okay, I was just kidding, I am a goddess but I was bored and I looked at the future and I didn't like it so I am changing it. You will all retain your memories once you leave here and I will be popping more people in here but you six won't leave till we're done here."

A boy with light brown hair looked like he was about to ask a question but Kairoi waved him down.

"Let me finish, and I will answer questions I want too when I'm done!"

Kairoi calmed down and was a little less frustrated, and then continued.

"What you all will be doing here is reading a set of three different books. You will start with the first one which will appear on that table."

Everyone's heads turned to where she was pointing and saw a table there that was most definitely not there when they arrived.

"I expect you to read three chapters by the time I come back."

Then with a pop she disappeared. The boy with brown hair looked annoyed

"You know she never actually let us ask any questions." Everyone ignored him. The kids looked at each other, unsure. The boy with black hair that was sticking up decided to take charge, a role he seemed to do with ease.

"Okay, first thing we should probably do is introduce ourselves then start reading. I'll start, I'm James Potter."

The redhead stepped forward.

"Lily Evans"

A handsome black haired boy that appeared with the group of four went next

"Sirius Black" None of them seemed to notice the messy haired boy that hadn't introduced himself doing a spectacular impression of a fish.

The annoyed inquisitive boy went next

"Remus Lupin" The boy doing fish impressions seemed to get a hold of himself and stepped forward

"Harry Potter" There was a bunch of shouts and surprised looks around the room, most coming from the marauders and Lily. Harry ignored them all in favor of pointing to the black haired boy in Slytherin robes, gesturing at him to go next. He got a hold of his shock and introduced himself

"Regulus Black" No one reacted to that and the boy sat down on a chair that suddenly appeared looking a little disgruntled.

The final boy stepped up and introduced himself

"Scorpius Malfoy" That name got almost as much reactions as Harry's did. James, seeing no one was going to answer questions any time soon picked up the book on the table, did a retake but seeing that it hadn't changed, shrugged and read it out loud

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" This finally got a react ion out of Harry who proceeded to grab it out of James' hand and seemed content to just stare at it incredulously. Calming down Harry sat down on a chair and started to read.

— **CHAPTER ONE — **

_**Dudley Demented**_

"Who's Dudley, and what does he have to do with Harry?"

"Black, shut up and let him read."

"Which Black, Evans? You should be clearer, there are two Blacks here."

"Yes, but only one of them was talking, at first." Sirius and Regulus both opened their mouths to say something but Harry hit them with a well-aimed _silencio_. He then continued to read, ignoring Sirius' annoyed and slightly proud face and Regulus's angry, indignant expression.

**The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive. Cars that-**

"Whats a car?" James asked confused. Lily looked at him exasperated,

"James, you took muggle-studies." James looked away, embarrassed but that didn't stop his big mouth.

"I know but how do you expect me to remember everything from that class?" Lily just shook her head. While James and Lily were occupied Harry turned to Sirius (after he took of the _silencio)_

"Are they always this way?" Sirius looked amused

"Yeah, nonstop. I think it's their way of flirting. Also I took muggle-studies too, thought it was a bit of a joke." Harry nodded

"Yeah, the teachers a pureblood so how would they know how non-magicals actually lived anyways. And if they're going to have a 'muggle'-studies that is mostly for purebloods why don't they have a class for muggles to understand more about the magical world and its customs? It's not like they have a book or a pamphlet or something to help muggleborns understand better."

Sirius looked like he agreed and looked a little impressed with Harry, after all not even Lily had ever thought of having that and it sounded really useful.

Harry noticed Lily and James wrapped up in their argument, and feeling pity for James and wanting to move on Harry told him,

"James" James snapped his head over and looked at Harry sheepishly.

"Yeah" James had started to ruffle his hair, obviously a nervous habit if his expression was anything to go by.

"A car is a non-magical machine that is used for transportation and cars are also used for entertainment for races and such."

James nodded with a comprehending look on his face so Harry continued reading.

-** were usually gleaming stood dusty in their drives and lawns that were once emerald green lay parched and yellowing -for the use of hosepipes had been banned due to drought. Deprived of their usual car-washing and lawn-mowing pursuits, the inhabitants of Privet Drive had retreated into the shade of their cool houses, windows thrown wide in the hope of tempting in a nonexistent breeze. **

"Sounds like a wonderful neighborhood." Remus said sarcastically. Everyone looked at him in surprise, he hadn't talked yet and that seemed more like something Sirius would say. Remus turned red and motioned for Harry to continue, shrugging Harry complied.

**The only person left outdoors was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four. **

**He was a skinny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who had the pinched, slightly unhealthy look of someone who has grown a lot in a short space of time.**

"That's Harry! He sounds just like James did at that age."

"Thanks so much Padfoot." James said sarcastically 

"Really dear brother, we never would have guessed considering Harry looks exactly like James now." Regulus said sarcastically at the same time as James. Harry just ignored them all.

**His jeans were torn and dirty, his T-shirt baggy and faded, and the soles of his trainers were peeling away from the uppers. Harry Potter's appearance did not endear him to the neighbours, who were the sort of people who thought scruffi-ness ought to be punishable by law,**

Everyone was frowning at that, why would Harry be wearing clothes like that and why would Lily and James live in such a neighborhood was the silent question.

**but as he had hidden himself behind a large hydrangea bush this evening he was quite invisible to passers-by. In fact, the only way he would be spotted was if his Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia-**

"What!" Lily shrieked.

"Why on earth are you even in the same neighborhood as them?"

The rest of the people who understood the significance were agreeing with her, Harry silenced them all with a look and kept reading.

**stuck their heads out of the living-room window and looked straight down into the flowerbed below. **

**On the whole, Harry thought he was to be congratulated on his idea of hiding here. He was not, perhaps, very comfortable lying on the hot, hard earth but, on the other hand, nobody was glaring at him, grinding their teeth so loudly that he could not hear the news, or shooting nasty questions at him, as had happened every time he had tried sitting down in the living room to watch television with his aunt and uncle. **

Everyone looked like they wanted to say something but didn't because they knew their questions wouldn't be answered.

**Almost as though this thought had fluttered through the open window, Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle, suddenly spoke. **

**'Glad to see the boy's stopped trying to butt in. Where is he, anyway?' **

**'I don't know,' said Aunt Petunia, unconcerned. 'Not in the house.' **

Lily frowned even more deeply and looked a little hurt by Petunia's obvious disdain for her son.

**Uncle Vernon grunted. **

**'Watching **_**the news**_** …' he said scathingly. 'I'd like to know what he's really up to. As if a normal boy cares what's on the news -Dudley hasn't got a clue what's going on; doubt he knows who the Prime Minister is! –**

"How is that a good thing anyway you git" Sirius hadn't learned much about Vernon Dursley having never met the man but he was taking an immediate dislike to him.

"Sirius Black next time you interrupt I will silence and bind you." Lily threatened.

Sirius shut up, no one except Prongs liked to get Lily angry, he said she looked even more beautiful when she was angry.

**Anyway, it's not as if there'd be anything about his lot on **_**our**_** news — ' **

"Our Lot!" Scorpius said indignantly. Nobody said anything.

**'Vernon, shh!' said Aunt Petunia. The window's open!' **

"Same old Petunia "Lily said disgustedly shaking her head.

**'Oh - yes - sorry, dear.' **

**The Dursleys fell silent. Harry listened to a jingle about Fruit 'n' Bran breakfast cereal while he watched Mrs Figg, a batty cat-loving old lady from nearby Wisteria Walk, amble slowly past. She was frowning and muttering to herself. Harry was very pleased he was concealed behind the bush, as Mrs Figg had recently taken to asking him round for tea whenever she met him in the street.**

"That's odd" Regulus muttered

**She had rounded the corner and vanished from view before Uncle Vernon's voice floated out of the window again. **

**'Dudders out for tea?' **

There was a brief shocked silence and then the room exploded with laughter.

"Tuney always did come up with the worst nicknames." Lily said in between laughs

Everyone else seemed unable to say anything else, they were laughing too hard.

**'At the Polkisses',' said Aunt Petunia fondly. 'He's got so many little friends, he's so popular **

A few people snorted in disbelief.

**Harry suppressed a snort with difficulty. The Dursleys really were astonishingly stupid about their son, Dudley. They had swallowed all his dim-witted lies about having tea with a different member of his gang every night of the summer holidays. Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley had not been to tea anywhere; he and his gang spent every evening vandalising the play park, smoking on street corners and throwing stones at passing cars and children.**

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree" Remus muttered

**Harry had seen them at it during his evening walks around Little Whinging; he had spent most of the holidays wandering the streets, scavenging newspapers from bins along the way. **

"Why are you so interested in the news?" Regulus asked Harry, who then ignored him.

**The opening notes of the music that heralded the seven o'clock news reached Harry's ears and his stomach turned over. Perhaps tonight - after a month of waiting - would be the night. **

Everyone looked confused at that statement

_**'Record numbers of stranded holiday makers fill airports as the Spanish baggage-handlers' strike reaches its second week -**_

**'Give 'em a lifelong siesta, I would,' snarled Uncle Vernon over the end of the newsreader's sentence, but no matter: outside in the flowerbed, Harrys stomach seemed to unclench. If anything had happened, it would surely have been the first item on the news; death and destruction were more important than stranded holidaymakers. **

Everyone exchanged worried glances at that, Why would there be death and destruction, was it Voldemort?

**He let out a long, slow breath and stared up at the brilliant blue sky. Every day this summer had been the same: the tension, the expectation, the temporary relief, and then mounting tension again… and always, growing more insistent all the time, the question of **_**why**_** nothing had happened yet. **

"Probably a good thing nothing's happened yet" Sirius muttered

**He kept listening, just in case there was some small clue, not recognised for what it really was by the Muggles - an unexplained disappearance, perhaps, or some strange accident… but the baggage-handlers' strike was followed by news about the drought in the Southeast ('I hope he's listening next door!' bellowed Uncle Vernon. 'Him with his sprinklers on at three in the morning!'), then a helicopter that had almost crashed in a field in Surrey, then a famous actress's divorce from her famous husband ('As if we're interested in their sordid affairs,' sniffed Aunt Petunia, who had followed the case obsessively in every magazine she could lay her bony hands on). **

"Oh, Tuney, you never change. So hypocritical and judgmental.

**Harry closed his eyes against the now blazing evening sky as the newsreader said, '- **_**and finally, Bungy the budgie has found a novel way of keeping cool this summer. Bungy, who lives at the Five Feathers in Barnsley, has learned to water ski! Mary Dorkins went to find out more**_**.' **

**Harry opened his eyes. If they had reached water-skiing budgerigars, there would be nothing else worth hearing. He rolled cautiously on to his front and raised himself on to his knees and elbows, preparing to crawl out from under the window. **

**He had moved about two inches when several things happened in very quick succession. **

**A loud, echoing **_**crack**_** broke the sleepy silence like a gunshot; **

"Probably apparition, Harry." Remus said

**a cat streaked out from under a parked car and flew out of sight; a shriek, a bellowed oath and the sound of breaking china came from the Dursleys' living room, **

Several people snickered.

**and as though this was the signal Harry had been waiting for he jumped to his feet, at the same time pulling from the waistband of his jeans a thin wooden wand as if he were unsheathing a sword - but before he could draw himself up to full height, the top of his head collided with the Dursleys' open window. The resultant crash made Aunt Petunia scream even louder. **

Everyone winced, that sounded painful.

**Harry felt as though his head had been split in two. Eyes streaming, he swayed, trying to focus on the street to spot the source of the noise, but he had barely staggered upright when two large purple hands reached through the open window and closed tightly around his throat. **

"OI! YOU IDIOT! LET GO OFF HIM!" Sirius shouted

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SON YOU FILTHY GIT!" Lily shrieked

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM DURSELY!" James roared

Several others made indignant shouts of outrage at the crass behavior at Harry.

Harry looked astounded that so many people ( who barely knew him) were reacting so strongly.

**'**_**Put - it**_** - **_**away**_**!' Uncle Vernon snarled into Harry's ear. 'Now.' **_**Before - anyone - sees**_**!'**

"GET OF HIM YOU FILTHY PRICK" that came from Remus. Several people gnashed their teeth at Harry's treatment.

**'Get - off - me!' Harry gasped. For a few seconds they struggled, Harry pulling at his uncles sausage-like fingers with his left hand, his right maintaining a firm grip on his raised wand; then, as the pain in the top of Harry's head gave a particularly nasty throb, Uncle Vernon yelped and released Harry as though he had received an electric shock. Some invisible force seemed to have surged through his nephew, making him impossible to hold. **

Several people looked impressed. Lily and Remus looked at each other with raised eyebrows, accidental magic at fifteen was very uncommon.

**Panting, Harry fell forwards over the hydrangea bush, straightened up and stared around. There was no sign of what had caused the loud cracking noise, but there were several faces peering through various nearby windows. Harry stuffed his wand hastily back into his jeans and tried to look innocent. **

"Not gonna happen if you look like me" James snickered.

**'Lovely evening!' shouted Uncle Vernon, waving at Mrs Number Seven opposite, who was glaring from behind her net curtains. **

"Nosy gits" Regulus muttered.

**'Did you hear that car backfire just now? Gave Petunia and me quite a turn!' **

**He continued to grin in a horrible, manic way until all the curious neighbours had disappeared from their various windows, then the grin became a grimace of rage as he beckoned Harry back towards him. **

**Harry moved a few steps closer, taking care to stop just short of the point at which Uncle Vernon's outstretched hands could resume their strangling. **

Several people frowned and still looked mad.

**'What the **_**devil**_** do you mean by it, boy?' asked Uncle Vernon in a croaky voice that trembled with fury. **

**'What do I mean by what?' said Harry coldly. He kept looking left and right up the street, still hoping to see the person who had made the cracking noise. **

**'Making a racket like a starting pistol right outside our -**

**'I didn't make that noise,' said Harry firmly. **

**Aunt Petunia's thin, horsy face now appeared beside Uncle Vernon's wide, purple one. She looked livid. **

**'Why were you lurking under our window?' **

**'Yes - yes, good point, Petunia! **_**What were you doing under our window, boy**_**?' **

**'Listening to the news,' said Harry in a resigned voice. **

**His aunt and uncle exchanged looks of outrage. **

**'Listening to the news! **_**Again**_**?' **

**'Well, it changes every day, you see,' said Harry. **

Everyone laughed at that, the marauders all high fived a surprised Harry.

**'Don't you be clever with me, boy! I want to know what you're really up to - and don't give me any more of this listening to **_**the news**_** tosh! You know perfectly well that **_**your lot –**_

Several people muttered angrily.

**'Careful, Vernon!' breathed Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon lowered his voice so that Harry could barely hear him,'- that your lot don't get on **_**our**_** news!' **

**'That's all you know,' said Harry. **

**The Dursleys goggled at him for a few seconds, then Aunt Petunia said, 'You're a nasty little liar. What are all those -' she, too, lowered her voice so that Harry had to lip-read the next word, - owls doing if they're not bringing you news?' **

**'Aha!' said Uncle Vernon in a triumphant whisper. 'Get out of that one, boy! As if we didn't know you get all your news from those pestilential birds!' **

**Harry hesitated for a moment. It cost him something to tell the truth this time, even though his aunt and uncle could not possibly know how bad he felt at admitting it. **

**'The owls… aren't bringing me news,' he said tonelessly. **

**'I don't believe it,' said Aunt Petunia at once. **

**'No more do I,' said Uncle Vernon forcefully. **

**'We know you're up to something funny,' said Aunt Petunia. **

**'We're not stupid, you know,' said Uncle Vernon. **

**'Well, that's news to me,' said Harry, his temper rising, and before the Dursleys could call him back, he had wheeled about, crossed the front lawn, stepped over the low garden wall and was striding off up the street. **

Lily looked sympathetically at Harry, she knew how frustrating it could get when one was dealing with the dursleys.

**He was in trouble now and he knew it. He would have to face his aunt and uncle later and pay the price for his rudeness, but he did not care very much just at the moment; he had much more pressing matters on his mind. **

**Harry was sure the cracking noise had been made by someone Apparating or Disapparating. It was exactly the sound Dobby the house-elf made when he vanished into thin air. Was it possible that Dobby was here in Privet Drive? Could Dobby be following him right at this very moment? As this thought occurred he wheeled around and stared back down Privet Drive, but it appeared to be completely deserted and Harry was sure that Dobby did not know how to become invisible. **

**He walked on, hardly aware of the route he was taking, for he had pounded these streets so often lately that his feet carried him to his favourite haunts automatically. Every few steps he glanced back over his shoulder. Someone magical had been near him as he lay among Aunt Petunia's dying begonias, he was sure of it. Why hadn't they spoken to him, why hadn't they made contact, why were they hiding now? **

**And then, as his feeling of frustration peaked, his certainty leaked away. **

**Perhaps it hadn't been a magical sound after all. Perhaps he was so desperate for the tiniest sign of contact from the world to which he belonged that he was simply overreacting to perfectly ordinary noises. Could he be **_**sure**_** it hadn't been the sound of something breaking inside a neighbour's house? **

**Harry felt a dull, sinking sensation in his stomach and before he knew it the feeling of hopelessness that had plagued him all summer rolled over him once again. **

**Tomorrow morning he would be woken by the alarm at five o'clock so he could pay the owl that delivered the **_**Daily Prophet -**_**but was there any point continuing to take it? Harry merely glanced at the front page before throwing it aside these days; when the idiots who ran the paper finally realised that Voldemort was back it would be headline news, and that was the only kind Harry cared about. **

Everyone looked shocked.

"Back? When did he go away?" Remus's question fell on deaf ears. Harry had been surprised that they had made a comment since they had gotten a good way without them but he supposed he shouldn't be surprised, TommyBoy was important news for them.

At that point there was a loud pop.

Everyones heads snapped to the corner of the room from where it originated. Nobody but Scorpius and Harry recognized the person.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Who can guess who it is?

And don't peek ahead.

Alright onto business, I have written six stories and not gotten one review.

I don't need reviews to write stories and maybe I'm not a great writer but I have seen that you people have seen my stories so I know they're just not being ignored. All I ask is a few reviews, they don't have to be long and I don't mind criticism, it'll help me write better, So if you want to give me a bunch of flames and stuff I did wrong I don't care as long as your being fair if you hate or like it that much, let me know! It's not that hard to write a review all it takes is a minute, that's it! All I ask is for a little appreciation here people. I may not need reviews to help me write eventually but I would really appreciate and the first signed review I get will get a dedication to that person on my next updates on all my stories and I will email them to thank them.

So, review and you get faster updates and story ideas written more quickly and you may or may not get chocolates sent in the mail and not reviewing means less stories slow updates and Padfoot peeing on your porch and pranking you!


	2. Hello Luna

"Hello Luna"

Luna looked at Harry in surprise and then looked around the room, she seemed to recognize the marauders, Regulus, and Lily. She nodded a hello to Scorpius.

"Hello Harry, you do realize that your body is one of a seventeen year old boys?"

Harry looked at her in shock

"Well come here and look." She showed him the mirror that suddenly appeared. He looked shocked and so did Luna when she realized her body was of a seventeen year old. Once both of them got over their shock they looked at each other happily and went and sat down with the others.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I missed being my original age, besides if I get sent back when I'm seventeen then it will be a way to start over." He had a dark look on his face when he mentioned that. Scorpius looked understanding and sad, so did Luna, she rubbed Harry's arm in comfort and everyone else looked worried and confused.

"Hey, Harry. If you don't mind me asking what was your original age?" Lily asked tentatively. Harry shrugged and answered

"Luna was 39 and I had just turned 40." Everyone looked surprised and Harry took advantage of their silence to read.

**If he was lucky, there would also be owls carrying letters from his best friends Ron and Hermione, though any expectation he'd had that their letters would bring him news had long since been dashed. **

Harry and Luna both looked angry at the mention of Ron and Hermione.

_**We can't say much about you-know-what, obviously… We've been told not to say anything important in case our letters go astray… We're quite busy but I can't give you details here… There's a fair amount going on, we'll tell you everything when we see you…**_

Everyone looked frustrated by that.

**But when were they going to see him? Nobody seemed too bothered with a precise date. Hermione had scribbled **_**I expect we'll be seeing you quite soon**_** inside his birthday card, but how soon was soon? As far as Harry could tell from the vague hints in their letters, Hermione and Ron were in the same place, presumably at Ron's parents' house. He could hardly bear to think of the pair of them having fun at The Burrow when he was stuck in Privet Drive. In fact, he was so angry with them he had thrown away, unopened, the two boxes of Honeydukes chocolates they'd sent him for his birthday. He'd regretted it later, after the wilted salad Aunt Petunia had provided for dinner that night. **

**And what were Ron and Hermione busy with? Why wasn't he, Harry, busy? Hadn't he proved himself capable of handling much more than them? Had they all forgotten what he had done? Hadn't it been **_**he**_** who had entered that graveyard and watched Cedric being murdered, and been tied to that tombstone and nearly killed? **

No one said a word but a few shocked gasps were heard.

_**Don't think about that**_**, Harry told himself sternly for the hundredth time that summer. It was bad enough that he kept revisiting the graveyard in his nightmares, without dwelling on it in his waking moments too. **

**He turned a corner into Magnolia Crescent; halfway along he passed the narrow alleyway down the side of a garage where he had first clapped eyes on his godfather. Sirius, at least, seemed to understand how Harry was feeling. Admittedly, his letters were just as empty of proper news as Ron and Hermione's, but at least they contained words of caution and consolation instead of tantalizing hints: **

_**I know this must be frustrating for you… Keep your nose clean and everything will be OK… Be careful and don't do anything rash…**_

**Well, thought Harry, as he crossed Magnolia Crescent, turned into Magnolia Road and headed towards the darkening play park, he had (by and .large) done as Sirius advised. He had at least resisted the temptation to tie his trunk to his broomstick and set off for The Burrow by himself. In fact, Harry thought his behavior had been very good considering how frustrated and angry he felt at being stuck in Privet Drive so long, reduced to hiding in flowerbeds in the hope of hearing something that might point to what Lord Voldemort was doing. Nevertheless, it was quite galling to be told not to be rash by a man who had served twelve years in the wizard prison, Azkaban, escaped, attempted to commit the murder he had been convicted for in the first place, and then gone on the run with a stolen Hippogriff. **

Sirius looked pale at the thought of going to Azkaban and James and Remus looked at him worried for him, Regulus looked scared and foreboding.

**Harry vaulted over the locked park gate and set off across the parched grass. The park was as empty as the surrounding streets. When he reached the swings he sank on to the only one that Dudley and his friends had not yet managed to break, coiled one arm around the chain and stared moodily at the ground. He would not be able to hide in the Dursleys' flowerbed again. Tomorrow, he would have to think of some fresh way of listening to the news. In the meantime, he had nothing to look forward to but another restless, disturbed night, because even when he escaped the nightmares about Cedric he had unsettling dreams about long dark corridors, all finishing in dead ends and locked doors, which he supposed had something to do with the trapped feeling he had when he was awake. Often the old scar on his forehead prickled uncomfortably, but he did not fool himself that Ron or Hermione or Sirius would find that very interesting any more. In the past, his scar hurting had warned that Voldemort was getting stronger again, but now that Voldemort was back they would probably remind him that its regular irritation was only to be expected… nothing to worry about… old news… **

**The injustice of it all welled up inside him so that he wanted to yell with fury. If it hadn't been for him, nobody would even have known Voldemort was back! And his reward was to be stuck in Little Whinging for four solid weeks, completely cut off from the magical world, reduced to squatting among dying begonias so that he could hear about water-skiing budgerigars! How could Dumbledore have forgotten him so easily? Why had Ron and Hermione got together without inviting him along, too? How much longer was he supposed to endure Sirius telling him to sit tight and be a good boy; or resist the temptation to write to the stupid Daily **_**Prophet**_** and point out that Voldemort had returned? These furious thoughts whirled around in Harry's head, and his insides writhed with anger as a sultry, velvety night fell around him, the air full of the smell of warm, dry grass, and the only sound that of the low grumble of traffic on the road beyond the park railings. **

**He did not know how long he had sat on the swing before the sound of voices interrupted his musings and he looked up. The streetlamps from the surrounding roads were casting a misty glow strong enough to silhouette a group of people making their way across the park. One of them was singing a loud, crude song. The others were laughing. A soft ticking noise came from several expensive racing bikes that they were wheeling along. **

**Harry knew who those people were. The figure in front was unmistakably his cousin, Dudley Dursley, wending his way home, accompanied by his faithful gang. **

**Dudley was as vast as ever, but a year's hard dieting and the discovery of a new talent had wrought quite a change in his physique. As Uncle Vernon delightedly told anyone who would listen, Dudley had recently become the Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing Champion of the Southeast. The noble sport', as Uncle Vernon called it, had made Dudley even more formidable than he had seemed to Harry in their primary school days when he had served as Dudley's first punchball. **

Everyone looked outraged that the bully would dare pick on and hurt Harry.

**Harry was not remotely afraid of his cousin any more but he still didn't think that Dudley learning to punch harder and more accurately was cause for celebration. Neighbourhood children all around were terrified of him - even more terrified than they were of 'that Potter boy' who, they had been warned, was a hardened hooligan and attended St Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. **

**Harry watched the dark figures crossing the grass and wondered who they had been beating up tonight. **_**Look round**_**, Harry found himself thinking as he watched them. **_**Come on… look round… I'm sitting here all alone… come and have a go**_**… **

**If Dudley's friends saw him sitting here, they would be sure to make a beeline for him, and what would Dudley do then? He wouldn't want to lose face in front of the gang, but he'd be terrified of provoking Harry… it would be really fun to watch Dudley's dilemma, to taunt him, watch him, with him powerless to respond… and if any of the others tried hitting Harry, he was ready - he had his wand. Let them try… he'd love to vent some of his frustration on the boys who had once made his life hell. **

**But they didn't turn around, they didn't see him, they were almost at the railings. Harry mastered the impulse to call after them… seeking a fight was not a smart move… he must not use magic… he would be risking expulsion again. **

**The voices of Dudley's gang died away; they were out of sight, heading along Magnolia Road. **

_**There you go, Sirius**_**, Harry thought dully. **_**Nothing rash. Kept my nose clean. Exactly the opposite of what you'd have done**_**. **

A couple people snickered.

**He got to his feet and stretched. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon seemed to feel that whenever Dudley turned up was the right time to be home, and any time after that was much too late. Uncle Vernon had threatened to lock Harry in the shed if he came home after Dudley ever again, so, stifling a yawn, and still scowling, Harry set off towards the park gate. **

**Magnolia Road, like Privet Drive, was full of large, square houses with perfectly manicured lawns, all owned by large, square owners who drove very clean cars similar to Uncle Vernon's. Harry preferred Little Whinging by night, when the curtained windows made patches of jewel-bright colour in the darkness and he ran no danger of hearing disapproving mutters about his 'delinquent' appearance when he passed the householders. He walked quickly, so that halfway along Magnolia Road Dudley's gang came into view again; they were saying their farewells at the entrance to Magnolia Crescent. Harry stepped into the shadow of a large lilac tree and waited. **

**'… squealed like a pig, didn't he?' Malcolm was saying, to guffaws from the others. **

**'Nice right hook, Big D,' said Piers. **

**'Same time tomorrow?' said Dudley. **

**'Round at my place, my parents will be out,' said Gordon. **

**'See you then,' said Dudley. **

**'Bye, Dud!' **

**'See ya, Big D!' **

Everyone snickered at the nicknames, in their minds Big D and Dud were almost as bad as Dudders.

**Harry waited for the rest of the gang to move on before setting off again. When their voices had faded once more he headed around the corner into Magnolia Crescent and by walking very quickly he soon came within hailing distance of Dudley, who was strolling along at his ease, humming tunelessly. **

**'Hey, Big D!' **

**Dudley turned. **

**'Oh,' he grunted. 'It's you.' **

**'How long have you been "Big D" then?' said Harry. **

**'Shut it,' snarled Dudley, turning away. **

**'Cool name,' said Harry, grinning and falling into step beside his cousin. 'But you'll always be "Ickle Diddykins" to me.' **

Everyone roared with laughter, that was by far the most embarrassing.

**'I said, SHUT IT!' said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists. **

**'Don't the boys know that's what your mum calls you?' **

**'Shut your face.' **

**'You don't tell **_**her**_** to shut her face. What about "Popkin" and "Dinky Diddydums", can I use them then?' **

**Dudley said nothing. The effort of keeping himself from hitting Harry seemed to demand all his self-control. **

**'So who've you been beating up tonight?' Harry asked, his grin fading. 'Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago -**

**'He was asking for it,' snarled Dudley. **

**'Oh yeah?' **

**'He cheeked me.' **

**'Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? 'Cause that's not cheek, Dud, that's true.' **

**A muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw. It gave Harry enormous satisfaction to know how furious he was making Dudley; he felt as though he was siphoning off his own frustration into his cousin, the only outlet he had. **

Lily shook her head in a that-is-not-good-for-you-you-should-not-take-your-frustrations-out-on-people-no-matter-how-much-they-deserve-it in a way that only mothers seemed to be able to do.

**They turned right down the narrow alleyway where Harry had first seen Sirius and which formed a short cut between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked because there were no streetlamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other. **

**Think you're a big man carrying that thing, don't you?' Dudley said after a few seconds. **

**'What thing?' **

**'That - that thing you are hiding.' **

**Harry grinned again. **

So did the marauders.

**'Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I's'pose, if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time.' **

Everyone was enjoying dudders getting a little of what he deserved, except for Lily of course, Luna just had a dreamy expression.

**Harry pulled out his wand. **

Sirius snickered. Everyone (even James) rolled their eyes at his immatureness

**He saw Dudley look sideways at it. **

**'You're not allowed,' Dudley said at once. 'I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to.' **

**'How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?' **

**They haven't,' said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely convinced. **

**Harry laughed softly. **

**'You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?' Dudley snarled. **

**'Whereas you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten year old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?' **

**'He was sixteen, for your information,' snarled Dudley, 'and he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you. You just wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out -**

**'Running to Daddy now, are you? Is his ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Harry's wand?' **

**'Not this brave at night, are you?' sneered Dudley. **

**This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this.' **

**'I mean when you're in bed!' Dudley snarled. **

Everyone looked confused, what did that mean?

**He had stopped walking. Harry stopped too, staring at his cousin. **

**From the little he could see of Dudley's large face, he was wearing a strangely triumphant look. **

**'What d'you mean, I'm not brave when I'm in bed?' said Harry, completely nonplussed. 'What am I supposed to be frightened of, pillows or something?' **

**'I heard you last night,' said Dudley breathlessly. Talking in your sleep. **_**Moaning**_**.' **

**'What d'you mean?' Harry said again, but there was a cold, plunging sensation in his stomach. He had revisited the graveyard last night in his dreams. **

**Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter, then adopted a high-pitched whimpering voice. **

**'"Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!" Who's Cedric - your boyfriend?' **

**'I - you're lying,' said Harry automatically. But his mouth had gone dry. He knew Dudley wasn't lying - how else would he know about Cedric? **

**'"Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad! Boo hoo!"' **

Everyone looked angry at Dudley. Though what can you expect from a bullying git that preyed on other people's feelings.

**'Shut up,' said Harry quietly. 'Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!' **

**''Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to –**

Several people were looking like they might be sick, poor Harry and Cedric. Lily and James both shuddered and Lily involuntarily scooted closer to James.

**" **_**Don't you point that thing at**_** me!' **

**Dudley backed into the alley wall. Harry was pointing the wand directly at Dudley's heart. Harry could feel fourteen years' hatred of Dudley pounding in his veins - what wouldn't he give to strike now, to jinx Dudley so thoroughly he'd have to crawl home like an insect, struck dumb, sprouting feelers… **

**'Don't ever talk about that again,' Harry snarled. 'D'you understand me?' **

**'Point that thing somewhere else!' **

**'I said, **_**do you understand**_** me?' **

_**'Point it somewhere else!'**_

**'DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?' **

**'GET THAT THING AWAY FROM -' **

**Dudley gave an odd, shuddering gasp, as though he had been doused in icy water. **

**Something had happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch black and lightless - the stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant rumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them. **

**For a split second Harry thought he had done magic without meaning to, despite the fact that he'd been resisting as hard as he could - then his reason caught up with his senses - he didn't have the power to turn off the stars. He turned his head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on his eyes like a weightless veil. **

Remus whispered dementors in the horrified silence.

**Dudley's terrified voice broke in Harry's ear. **

**'W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!' **

**'I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move!' **

**'I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I -' **

**'I said shut up!' **

**Harry stood stock still, turning his sightless eyes left and right. The cold was so intense he was shivering all over; goose bumps had erupted up his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up - he opened his eyes to their fullest extent, staring blankly around, unseeing. **

**It was impossible… they couldn't be here… not in Little Whinging… he strained his ears… he would hear them before he saw them… **

**'I'll't-tell Dad!' Dudley whimpered. 'W-where are you? What are you d-do—?' **

**'Will you shut up?' Harry hissed, I'm trying to lis—' **

**But he fell silent. He had heard just the thing he had been dreading. **

**There was something in the alleyway apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths. Harry felt a horrible jolt of dread as he stood trembling in the freezing air. **

**'C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you, I swear I will!' **

**'Dudley, shut—' **

**WHAM. **

"Damn you idiot!" Remus shouted

"Don't punch my son" James and Lily shouted in unison. The surprise enough stopped Sirius from saying anything or anyone else for that matter.

**A fist made contact with the side of Harrys head, lifting him off his feet. Small white lights popped in front of his eyes. For the second time in an hour Harry felt as though his head had been cleaved in two; next moment, he had landed hard on the ground and his wand had flown out of his hand. **

**'You moron, Dudley!' Harry yelled, his eyes watering with pain as he scrambled to his hands and knees, feeling around frantically in the blackness. He heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley fence, stumbling. **

**'DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!' **

Everyone was pale and worried

**There was a horrible squealing yell and Dudley's footsteps stopped. At the same moment, Harry felt a creeping chill behind him that could mean only one thing. There was more than one. **

**'DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!' Harry muttered frantically, his hands flying over the ground like spiders. 'Where's - wand -come on - **_**lumos**_**!' **

"Oh, Harry that's not gonna work" Remus said worriedly

**He said the spell automatically, desperate for light to help him in his search - and to his disbelieving relief, light flared inches from his right hand - the wand tip had ignited.**

Remus looked nonplussed.

"Hah, Moony's wrong for once." Sirius said triumphantly. A few people laughed and Remus just stared at him annoyed but relieved for Harry.

**Harry snatched it up, scrambled to his feet and turned around. **

**His stomach turned over. **

**A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly towards him, hovering over the ground, no feet or face visible beneath its robes, sucking on the night as it came. **

**Stumbling backwards, Harry raised his wand. **

_**'Expecto patronum!'**_

**A silvery wisp of vapour shot from the tip of the wand and the Dementor slowed, but the spell hadn't worked properly; tripping over his own feet, Harry retreated further as the Dementor bore down upon him, panic fogging his brain - **_**concentrate -**_

**A pair of grey, slimy, scabbed hands slid from inside the Dementor's robes, reaching for him. A rushing noise filled Harry's ears. **

_**'Expecto patronum!'**_

**His voice sounded dim and distant. Another wisp of silver smoke, feebler than the last, drifted from the wand - he couldn't do it any more, he couldn't work the spell. **

**There was laughter inside his own head, shrill, high-pitched laughter… he could smell the Dementor's putrid, death-cold breath filling his own lungs, drowning him - **_**think… something happy**_**… **

**But there was no happiness in him… the Dementor's icy fingers were closing on his throat - the high-pitched laughter was growing louder and louder, and a voice spoke inside his head: 'Bow to **_**death, Harry…it might even be painless… I would not know**_** … I **_**have never died**_** …" **

Everyone was shaking and pale as that was obviously was Voldemort.

**He was never going to see Ron and Hermione again -**

**And their faces burst clearly into his mind as he fought for breath. **

_**'EXPECTO PATRONUM!'**_

**An enormous silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand;**

Everyone looked relieved and astonished. James beamed with pride that he was Harry's patronus.

**its antlers caught the Dementor in the place where the heart should have been; it was thrown backwards, weightless as darkness, and as the stag charged, the Dementor swooped away, bat-like and defeated. **

The room was filled with cheers.

**'THIS WAY!' Harry shouted at the stag. Wheeling around, he sprinted down the alleyway, holding the lit wand aloft. 'DUDLEY? DUDLEY!' **

**He had run barely a dozen steps when he reached them: Dudley was curled up on the ground, his arms clamped over his face. A second Dementor was crouching low over him, gripping his wrists in its slimy hands, prising them slowly almost lovingly apart, lowering its hooded head towards Dudley's face as though about to kiss him. **

**'GET IT!' Harry bellowed, and with a rushing, roaring sound, the silver stag he had conjured came galloping past him. The Dementor's eyeless face was barely an inch from Dudley's when the silver antlers caught it; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its fellow, it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness; the stag cantered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist. **

Everyone sighed in relief, no one deserved to be kissed by a dementor.

**Moon, stars and streetlamps burst back into life. A warm breeze swept the alleyway. Trees rustled in neighbouring gardens and the mundane rumble of cars in Magnolia Crescent filled the air again. **

**Harry stood quite still, all his senses vibrating, taking in the abrupt return to normality. After a moment, he became aware that his T-shirt was sticking to him; he was drenched in sweat. **

**He could not believe what had just happened. Dementors **_**here**_**, in Little Whinging. **

**Dudley lay curled up on the ground, whimpering and shaking. Harry bent down to see whether he was in a fit state to stand up, but then he heard loud, running footsteps behind him. Instinctively raising his wand again, he span on his heel to face the newcomer. **

**Mrs Figg, their batty old neighbour, came panting into sight. Her grizzled grey hair was escaping from its hairnet, a clanking string shopping bag was swinging from her wrist and her feet were halfway out of her tartan carpet slippers. Harry made to stow his wand hurriedly out of sight, but -**

**'Don't put it away idiot boy!' she shrieked. 'What if there are more of them around? Oh, I'm going to **_**kill**_** Mundungus Fletcher!' **

Everyone was too shocked to say anything then-

"What the Hell" Which came from James.

"Harry where are James and I? And why was Padfoot in Azkaban and wheres Remus and why would you be staying with my sister!"

All of a sudden everyone exploded with questions.

"Quiet" they kept at it. Harry pointed his wand at his neck and muttered sonorous.

"QUIET!" Everyone stopped talking at once.

"everything will be explained throughout the book and as you probably guessed it's not a walk in the park. So shut up and I will start on the new chapter.

**Chapter Two**

**A Peck Of Owls…**


	3. A Peck of Owls

Disclaimer: "I've tried begging, suing, and bribing. Any other ideas for how to get to own the Harry Potter books? I still don't own them, yet. J.K Rowling guards those rights very selfishly."

"**A Peck of Owls**" Harry read.

"**He left!" said Mrs. Figg, wringing her hands. "Left to see someone about a batch of cauldrons that fell off the back of a broom! **

Lily and James looked outraged that someone would leave from protecting Harry for stolen cauldrons

**I told him I'd flay him alive if he went, and now look! Dementors! It's just lucky I put Mr. Tibbies on the case! **

Sirius snickered when he heard the cat's name.

**But we haven't got time to stand** **around! Hurry, now, we've got to get you back! Oh, the trouble this is going to cause! I will kill him!"**

"**But -" The revelation that his batty old cat-obsessed neighbor knew what Dementors were was almost as big a shock to Harry as meeting two of them down the alleyway. **

"**You're - you're a witch?"**

"**I'm a Squib, as Mundungus knows full well, so how on earth was I supposed to help you fight off Dementors? He left you completely without cover when I'd warned him -"**

"**This Mundungus has been following me? Hang on - it was him! He Disapparated from the front of my house!"**

"**Yes, yes, yes, but luckily I'd stationed Mr. Tibbies under a car just in case, and Mr. Tibbies came and warned me, but by the time I got to your house you'd gone - and now - oh, what's Dumbledore going to say? You!" she shrieked at Dudley, still supine on the alley floor. "Get your fat bottom off the ground, quick!"**

Everyone laughed, despite the tense situation

"**You know Dumbledore?" said Harry, staring at her.**

"**Of course I know Dumbledore, who doesn't know Dumbledore? **

**But come on - I'll be no help if they come back, I've never so much as transfigured a teabag."**

**She stooped down, seized one of Dudley's massive arms in her wizened hands and tugged.**

"**Get up, you useless lump, get up!"**

More laughs were heard

**But Dudley either could not or would not move. He remained on the ground, trembling and ashen-faced, his mouth shut very tight.**

"**I'll do it." Harry took hold of Dudley's arm and heaved. With an enormous effort he managed to hoist him to his feet. Dudley seemed to be on the point of fainting. His small eyes were rolling in their sockets and sweat was beading his face; the moment Harry let go of him he swayed dangerously.**

"Careful not to drop him, you might cause an earthquake!" That comment was surprisingly from Remus who wasn't at all abashed when everyone stared at him.

"What? I am a marauder after all.

"_**Hurry up!" said Mrs. Figg hysterically.**_

"Oi! Let's see you try and lift that whale, Batty!" Sirius shouted with more laughs following his statement

**Harry pulled one of Dudley's massive arms around his own shoulders and dragged him towards the road, sagging slightly under the weight. Mrs. Figg tottered along in front of them, peering anxiously around the corner.**

"**Keep your wand out," she told Harry, as they entered Wisteria Walk. "Never mind the Statute of Secrecy now, there's going to be hell to pay anyway, we might as well be hanged for a dragon as an egg. Talk about the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery… this was exactly what Dumbledore was afraid of - **

**What's that at the end of the street? Oh, it's just Mr. Prentice… don't put your wand away, boy, don't I keep telling you I'm no use?"**

**It was not easy to hold a wand steady and haul Dudley along at the same time. Harry gave his cousin an impatient dig in the ribs, but Dudley seemed to have lost all desire for independent movement. He was slumped on Harry's shoulder, his large feet dragging along the ground.**

"**Why didn't you tell me you're a Squib, Mrs. Figg?" asked Harry, panting with the effort to keep walking. "All those times I came round your house - why didn't you say anything?"**

"**Dumbledore's orders. I was to keep an eye on you but not say anything, you were too young. I'm sorry I gave you such a miserable time, Harry, but the Dursleys would never have let you come if they'd thought you enjoyed it.**

Remus frowned angrily "She's probably right too, they just love depriving Harry."

Everyone muttered darkly at that.

"Remus is right though, at that age I wouldn't have been able to hide my delight at visiting her if she was really nice." Harry mused. Lily looked at him sadly, motherly concern being the dominant emotion shown on her face.

**It wasn't easy, you know… but oh my word," she said tragically, wringing her hands once more, "when Dumbledore hears about this - how could Mundungus have left, he was supposed to be on duty until midnight - where is he? How am I going to tell Dumbledore what's happened? I can't Apparate."**

"**I've got an owl, you can borrow her." Harry groaned, **

"Not fast enough, Dumbledore will need to know right away" reasoned Regulus

**wondering whether his spine was going to snap under Dudley's weight.**

"Oh, Harry! You were fine right! Oh, I could just kill Petunia!" Lily nearly shouted

Harry looked confused and bewildered, having had never dealt with a hysterically worried mother on his behalf.

"How is Petunia to blame?" He warily asked

"Well she raised him after all! Its her fault he's a useless lump." Harry wisely kept his mouth shut, concerned for his safety and his hearing.

"**Harry, you don't understand! Dumbledore will need to act as quickly as possible, the Ministry have their own ways of detecting underage magic, they'll know already, you mark my words."**

"**But I was getting rid of Dementors, I had to use magic - they're going to be more worried about what Dementors were doing floating around Wisteria Walk, surely?"**

"**Oh, my dear, I wish it were so, but I'm afraid - MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"**

**There was a loud crack and a strong smell of drink mingled with stale tobacco filled the air as a squat, unshaven man in a tattered overcoat materialized right in front of them. He had short, bandy legs, long straggly ginger hair and bloodshot, baggy eyes that gave him the doleful look of a basset hound. **

Lily had a disgusted look on her face, mostly because that was the man that left her baby to deal with dementors alone.

**He was also clutching a silvery bundle that Harry recognized at once as an Invisibility Cloak.**

Scorpius perked up at that, Harry's being the only invisibility cloak he'd ever seen, since he knew those cloaks were scarce he was wondering how he got hold of one, mundugus was more of a thief that stole and sold bulk and illegal things, not rare things like invisibility cloaks.

"**S'up, Figgy?" he said, staring from Mrs. Figg to Harry and Dudley. "What 'appened to staying undercover?"**

"**I'll give you undercover!" cried Mrs. Figg. "Dementors, you useless, skiving sneak thief!"**

"**Dementors?" repeated Mundungus, aghast. "Dementors, 'ere?"**

"Yes you idiot! And you left my baby to deal with them alone!" Lily all but shrieked.

Harry looked torn between happiness to know that people cared (everyone seemed to be in the same mindset as Lily, just not as loudly) and worry over his mother's mental health (she was acting rather crazily in his opinion).

"**Yes, here, you worthless pile of bat droppings, here!" shrieked Mrs. Figg. **

Everyone laughed at that, all mentally agreeing with Mrs. Figg, or in Sirius' case agreeing with Batty.

**"Dementors attacking the boy on your watch!"**

"**Blimey," said Mundungus weakly, looking from Mrs. Figg to Harry, and back again. "Blimey, I -"**

"**And you off buying stolen cauldrons! Didn't I tell you not to go? Didn't I!"**

"**I - well, I -" Mundungus looked deeply uncomfortable. "It — it was a very good business opportunity, see -"**

**Mrs. Figg raised the arm from which her string bag dangled and whacked Mundungus around the face and neck with it; judging by the clanking noise it made it was full of cat food.**

Everyone howled with laughter and told Mrs. Figg what a good thing to do that was.

"**Ouch - gerroff - gerroff, you mad old bat! Someone's gotta tell Dumbledore!"**

"**Yes - they - have!" yelled Mrs. Figg, swinging the bag of cat food at every bit of Mundungus she could reach. "And - it - had - better - be - you - and - you - can - tell - him - why - you - weren't - there - to - help!"**

"**Keep your 'airnet on!" said Mundungus, his arms over his head, cowering. "I'm going, I'm going!"**

**And with another loud crack, he vanished.**

"**I hope Dumbledore murders him!" said Mrs. Figg furiously. "Now come on, Harry, what are you waiting for?"**

More laughs.

**Harry decided not to waste his remaining breath on pointing out that he could barely walk under Dudley's bulk. He gave the semi-conscious Dudley a heave and staggered onwards.**

Lily looked worried about Harry and like she was about to start ranting. Harry subtly scooted away from her, everyone else seemed to have the same idea but Sirius ended up tripping over his feet, drawing Lily's attention. When she realized what everyone did, she alternated between glaring at Sirius and blushing like mad.

"**I'll take you to the door," said Mrs. Figg, as they turned into Privet Drive. "Just in case there are more of them around… oh my word, what a catastrophe… and you had to fight them off yourself… and Dumbledore said we were to keep you from doing magic at all costs… well, it's no good crying over spilt potion, I suppose… but the cat's among the pixies now."**

"**So," Harry panted, "Dumbledore's… been having… me followed?"**

Everyone had come to that conclusion and seemed sad that things had to come to that.

"Harry, dear its for your own safety." Except she seemed to be talking to the book now and no one wanted to point out how she would have reacted to people doing that to her, they guessed Harry wasn't going to like it and if it happened to Lily she would be even more vocal then Harry was bound to be.

"**Of course he has," said Mrs. Figg impatiently. "Did you expect him to let you wander around on your own after what happened in June? Good Lord, boy, they told me you were intelligent… right… get inside and stay there,"**

A couple people laughed at that.

Lily turned to face James

"It's your fault, you know." James just looked confused though Remus and Regulus could see where this was going and tried to hide their laughter.

"He gets your brains of course." James looked outraged and was about to argue, then he thought better of it, though it was probably due to Lily's expression.

Harry wasn't sure if he should be offended or amused, he ended up just shaking his head in disbelief and continued reading.

**she said, as they reached number four. "I expect someone will be in touch with you soon enough."**

"**What are you going to do?" asked Harry quickly.**

"**I'm going straight home," said Mrs. Figg, staring around the dark street and shuddering. "I'll need to wait for more instructions. Just stay in the house. Goodnight."**

"**Hang on, don't go yet! I want to know -"**

**But Mrs. Figg had already set off at a trot, carpet slippers flopping, string bag clanking.**

Sirius snickered.

"Bye Batty!"

Lily took the book from Harry and hit Sirius in the head with it.

Sirius did a fine fish impression while everyone laughed. Harry

Took the book back, still chuckling.

"**Wait!" Harry shouted after her. He had a million questions to ask anyone who was in contact with Dumbledore; but within seconds Mrs. Figg was swallowed by the darkness. Scowling, Harry readjusted Dudley on his shoulder and made his slow, painful way up number four's garden path.**

Harry made a face, he then handed the book to Sirius, telling him to read saying he didn't want to read this part. No one noticed the mischievous spark in his eyes, that was a kin to James' when he thinks of a prank.

**The hall light was on. Harry stuck his wand back inside the waistband of his jeans, rang the bell and watched Aunt Petunia's outline grow larger and larger, oddly distorted by the rippling glass in the front door.**

"**Diddy! About time too, I was getting quite - quite -Diddy, what's the matter!"**

**Harry looked sideways at Dudley and ducked out from under his arm just in time. Dudley swayed on the spot for a moment, his face pale green… then he opened his mouth and vomited all over the doormat.**

Everyone looked disgusted, Lily and Remus seemed torn between disgust and pity, the boy had almost had his soul sucked out after all.

"**DIDDY! Diddy, what's the matter with you? Vernon? VERNON!"**

A few weak chuckles were heard about the nickname.

**Harry's uncle came galumphing out of the living room, walrus moustache blowing hither and thither as it always did when he was agitated. **

"Eww" a couple people muttered.

**He hurried forwards to help Aunt Petunia negotiate a weak-kneed Dudley over the threshold while avoiding stepping in the pool of sick.**

"**He's ill, Vernon!"**

"**What is it, son? What's happened? Did Mrs. Polkiss give you something foreign for tea?"**

"**Why are you all covered in dirt, darling? Have you been lying on the ground?"**

"**Hang on - you haven't been mugged, have you, son?"**

**Aunt Petunia screamed.**

"**Phone the police, Vernon! Phone the police! Diddy, darling, speak to Mummy! What did they do to you?"**

Lily shook her head, disgusted "Same old, dramatic Petunia."

**In all the kerfuffle nobody seemed to have noticed Harry, which suited him perfectly. He managed to slip inside just before Uncle Vernon slammed the door and, while the Dursleys made their noisy progress down the hall towards the kitchen, Harry moved carefully and quietly towards the stairs.**

"That's a good idea Harry." Remus said

"Knowing them, they'll blame Harry." Sirius muttered darkly. Lily just looked at Harry in concern while James joined Sirius in writing a list of revenge pranks on a sheet of parchment Remus had conjured a few seconds a go.

"**Who did it, son? Give us names. We'll get them, don't worry."**

"Come on, don't notice him, don't notice him." Remus kept muttering

"**Shh! He's trying to say something, Vernon! What is it, Diddy? Tell Mummy!"**

"So close…"

**Harry's foot was on the bottom-most stair when Dudley found his voice.**

"**Him."**

"Damn!" Remus shouted, several groans were heard around the room.

**Harry froze, foot on the stair, face screwed up, braced for the explosion.**

"**BOY! COME HERE!"**

"The one time we want you to ignore Harry." James muttered while adding things to the list.

"He has a name you overgrown whale!" Lily shouted.

"Oh no Lily, I would compare him to a flemming Hummdinger instead, they are much more lazy and stupid. " Luna said quite seriously with her usual dreamy expression. Scorpius and Harry laughed at everyone else's faces.

**With a feeling of mingled dread and anger, Harry removed his foot slowly from the stair and turned to follow the Dursleys.**

**The scrupulously clean kitchen had an oddly unreal glitter after the darkness outside. Aunt Petunia was ushering Dudley into a chair; he was still very green and clammy-looking. Uncle Vernon standing in front of the draining board, glaring at Harry through tiny, narrowed eyes.**

"**What have you done to my son?" he said in a menacing growl.**

"**Nothing," said Harry, knowing perfectly well that Uncle Vernon wouldn't believe him.**

Insults to Vernon's intelligence were heard around the room.

"**What did he do to you, Diddy?" Aunt Petunia said in a quavering voice, **

**now sponging sick from the front of Dudley's leather jacket. "Was it - was it you-know-what, darling? Did he use – his thing?"**

James and Sirius burst out laughing, did she not realize how wrong that sounded?

**Slowly, tremulously, Dudley nodded.**

"**I didn't!" Harry said sharply, as Aunt Petunia let out a wail and Uncle Vernon raised his fists. "I didn't do anything to him, it wasn't me, it was –"**

**But at that precise moment a screech owl swooped in through the kitchen window. Narrowly missing the top of Uncle Vernon's head, **

"Damn, so close." Regulus whispered.

**it soared across the kitchen, dropped the large parchment envelope it was carrying in its beak at Harry's feet, turned gracefully, the tips of its wings just brushing the top of the fridge, then zoomed outside again and off across the garden.**

"**OWLS!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, the well-worn vein in his temple pulsing angrily as he slammed the kitchen window shut. "OWLS AGAIN! I WILL NOT HAVE ANY MORE OWLS IN MY HOUSE!"**

Everyone jumped, startled.

"Sirius! You don't have to yell!" Lily yelled.

"But Lily, it says vermin bellowed, so it's supposed to be read like that." Lily just glared at Sirius witheringly in response. Harry successfully hid his laughter and high fived an equally laughing Luna.

**But Harry was already ripping open the envelope and pulling out the letter inside, his heart pounding somewhere in the region of his Adam's apple.**

_**Dear Mr. Potter,**_

_**We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty-three minutes past nine this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle.**_

_**The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. **_

_**Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.**_

_**As you have already received an official warning for a previous offence under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 a.m. on the twelfth of August.**_

_**Hoping you are well,**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Mafalda Hopkirk**_

_**Improper Use of Magic Office**_

_**Ministry of Magic**_

Everyone yelled in outrage at the incompetence of the ministry.

"They can't snap his wand without a trial at least!" Remus said in an outraged tone.

"And Petunia and the Dursleys know about magic too!" Lily near shouted

**Harry read the letter through twice. He was only vaguely aware of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia talking. Inside his head, all was icy and numb. One fact had penetrated his consciousness like a paralyzing dart. He was expelled from Hogwarts. It was all over. He was never going back.**

"No." James said shaking his head. "Dumbledore will intercede, I know he will."

**He looked up at the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon was purple-faced, shouting, his fists still raised; Aunt Petunia had her arms around Dudley, who was retching again.**

"Yuck," Lily muttered

**Harry's temporarily stupefied brain seemed to reawaken. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand. There was only one thing for it. He would have to run - now. **

"No, Harry! That will put you in more danger!" Lily looked at him alarmed

**Where he was going to go, Harry didn't know, but he was certain of one thing: at Hogwarts or outside it, he needed his wand. In an almost dream like state, he pulled his wand out and turned to leave the kitchen.**

"**Where d'you think you're going?" yelled Uncle Vernon. When Harry didn't reply, he pounded across the kitchen to block the doorway into the hall. "I haven't finished with you, boy!"**

"**Get out of the way," said Harry quietly.**

"**You're going to stay here and explain how my son-"**

"**If you don't get out of the way I'm going to jinx you," said Harry, raising the wand.**

"**You can't pull that one on me!" snarled Uncle Vernon. "I know you're not allowed to use it outside that madhouse you call a school!"**

"**The madhouse has chucked me out," said Harry. "So I can do whatever I like. You've got three seconds. One - two -"**

**A resounding CRACK filled the kitchen. Aunt Petunia screamed, 'Hide!' Uncle Vernon yelled and ducked, **

**but for the third time that night Harry was searching for the source of a disturbance he had not made. He spotted it at once: a dazed and ruffled-looking barn owl was sitting outside on the kitchen sill, having just collided with the closed window.**

**Ignoring Uncle Vernon's anguished yell of 'OWLS!' **

Everyone laughed, after they stopped wincing from Sirius' shouting, Lily was glaring again.

**Harry crossed the room at a run and wrenched the window open. The owl stuck out its leg, to which a small roll of parchment was tied, shook its leathers, and took off the moment Harry had taken the letter. Hands shaking, Harry unfurled the second message, which was written very hastily and blotchily in black ink.**

**Harry —**

**Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry and he's trying to sort it all out. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S HOUSE.**

_**DO NOT DO ANY MORE MAGIC. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR WAND.**_

_**Arthur Weasley**_

**Dumbledore was trying to sort it all out… what did that mean? How much power did Dumbledore have to override the Ministry of Magic? **

"A lot" James said confidently

**Was there a chance that he might be allowed back to Hogwarts, then? A small shoot of hope burgeoned in Harry's chest, almost immediately strangled by panic - how was he supposed to refuse to surrender his wand without doing magic? He'd have to duel with the Ministry representatives, and if he did that, he'd be lucky to escape Azkaban, let alone expulsion.**

"No, they wouldn't use magic on him." Sirius said shaking his head.

**His mind was racing… he could run for it and risk being captured by the Ministry, or stay put and wait for them to find him here. He was much more tempted by the former course, but he knew Mr. Weasley had his best interests at heart… and after all, Dumbledore had sorted out much worse than this before.**

"Listen to Mr. Weasely Harry!" Lilly said.

Harry was starting to get annoyed about being spoken about as if he wasn't there but he knew they didn't mean anything by it and he didn't want the attention directed towards him.

"**Right," Harry said, "I've changed my mind, I'm staying." He flung himself down at the kitchen table and faced Dudley and Aunt Petunia. The Dursleys appeared taken aback at his abrupt change of mind. Aunt Petunia glanced despairingly at Uncle Vernon. The vein in his purple temple was throbbing worse than ever.**

"**Who are all these ruddy owls from?" he growled.**

"**The first one was from the Ministry of Magic, expelling me," said Harry calmly. He was straining his ears to catch any noises outside, in case the Ministry representatives were approaching, and it was easier and quieter to answer Uncle Vernon's questions than to have him start raging and bellowing. "The second one was from my friend Ron's dad, who works at the Ministry."**

"**Ministry of Magic?" bellowed Uncle Vernon. "People like you in government! Oh, this explains everything, everything, no wonder the country's going to the dogs."**

**When Harry did not respond, Uncle Vernon glared at him, then spat out, "And why have you been expelled?"**

"**Because I did magic."**

"**AHA!" roared Uncle Vernon, slamming his fist down on top of the fridge, which sprang open; several of Dudley's low-fat snacks toppled out and burst on the floor. "So you admit it! What did you do to Dudley?"**

"**Nothing," said Harry, slightly less calmly. "That wasn't me -"**

"**Was," muttered Dudley unexpectedly, and Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia instantly made flapping gestures at Harry to quieted him while they both bent low over Dudley.**

"**Go on, son," said Uncle Vernon, "what did he do?"**

"**Tell us, darling," whispered Aunt Petunia.**

"**Pointed his wand at me," Dudley mumbled.**

"**Yeah, I did, but I didn't use -" Harry began angrily, but –**

"**SHUT UP!" roared Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in unison.**

"Padfoot!" James protested. Sirius just gave him an innocent look. Lily got her wand out, but made sure no one noticed and pointed it at Sirius.

"**Go on, son," repeated Uncle Vernon, moustache blowing about furiously.**

"**All went dark," Dudley said hoarsely, shuddering. "Everything dark. And then I h-heard… things. Inside m-my head."**

Everyone seemed torn between pity and thinking the bully got what he deserved.

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia exchanged looks of utter horror. If their least favorite thing in the world was magic - closely followed by neighbors who cheated more than they did on the hosepipe ban - people who heard voices were definitely in the bottom ten. They obviously thought Dudley was losing his mind.**

"No, that would be you" Scorpius muttered.

"**What sort of things did you hear, Popkin?" breathed Aunt Petunia, very white-faced and with tears in her eyes.**

It was a mark of how serious they thought the situation that no one laughed at the nickname.

**But Dudley seemed incapable of saying. He shuddered again and shook his large blond head, and despite the sense of numb dread that had settled on Harry since the arrival of the first owl, he felt a certain curiosity. Dementors caused a person to relive the worst moments of their life. What would spoiled, pampered, bullying Dudley have been forced to hear?**

"I would think he would have heard all his memories of anything magic related, since he is so scared of magic." Regulus said contemplatively.

"**How come you fell over, son?" said Uncle Vernon, in an unnaturally quiet voice, the kind of voice he might adopt at the bedside of a very ill person.**

"**T-tripped," said Dudley shakily. "And then –"**

**He gestured at his massive chest. Harry understood. Dudley was remembering the clammy cold that filled the lungs as hope and happiness were sucked out of you.**

"**Horrible," croaked Dudley. "Cold. Really cold."**

Lily shivered with a sad look, he was her nephew and nearly had his soul sucked out, nobody deserved that.

"**Okay," said Uncle Vernon, in a voice of forced calm, while Aunt Petunia laid an anxious hand on Dudley's forehead to feel his temperature. "What happened then, Dudders?"**

"**Felt… felt… felt… as if… as if…"**

"**As if you'd never be happy again," Harry supplied dully.**

"**Yes," Dudley whispered, still trembling.**

"**So!" said Uncle Vernon, voice restored to full and considerable volume as he straightened up.**

"**You put some crackpot spell on my son so he'd hear voices and believe he was - was doomed to misery, or something, did you?"**

Everyone snorted at the ridiculousness of that.

"**How many times do I have to tell you?" said Harry, temper and voice both rising. "It wasn't me! It was a couple of Dementors!"**

"**A couple of - what's this codswallop?"**

"**De - men - tors," said Harry slowly and clearly. "Two of them."**

"**And what the ruddy hell are Dementors?"**

"**They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban," said Aunt Petunia.**

Everyone looked shocked.

"Where would she hear that from?" Regulus asked Lily, Lily had an odd look on her face.

"She was spying on me once and as much as she would like to forget those things Petunia has an excellent memory."

Everyone else went quiet in respect off Lily.

**Two seconds of ringing silence followed these words before Aunt Petunia clapped her hand over her mouth as though she had let slip a disgusting swear word.**

Sirius snorted

**Uncle Vernon was goggling at her.**

**Harry's brain reeled. Mrs. Figg was one thing - but Aunt Petunia?**

"I know what you mean Prongslet." James said shaking his head.

"Prongslet?" several people echoed

"Yeah, I'm Prongs, Harry you are my son, makes sense." James said while looking at Harry. He seemed to be gauging Harry's reaction, James beamed when Harry nodded at him with a small smile on his face.

"**How d'you know that?" he asked her, astonished.**

**Aunt Petunia looked quite appalled with herself. She glanced at Uncle Vernon in fearful apology, then lowered her hand slightly to reveal her horsy teeth.**

"**I heard - that awful boy – telling her about them - years ago," she said jerkily.**

"**If you mean my mum and dad, why don't you use their names?" said Harry loudly, but Aunt Petunia ignored him. She seemed horribly flustered.**

James looked confused at Lily

"When have we ever talked about dementors?" Lily shook her head

"We haven't, Petunia overheard Sev and I talking before I went to Hogwarts, when she actually still bothered with me." Lily said with a troubled look.

Several people looked shocked, Lily knew Snape before school? but it made more sense than them meeting in school and becoming friends.

**Harry was stunned. Except for one outburst years ago, in the course of which Aunt Petunia had screamed that Harry's mother had been a freak, he had never heard her mention her sister. He was astounded that she had remembered this scrap of information about the magical world for so long, when she usually put all her energies into pretending it didn't exist.**

Despite what Lily said about her sister she had always held hope for them getting along someday, that admission seemed to make the hate her sister had for her all the more real, which left Lily near tears, James went over and hugged her, she burrowed her head in his chest. Several death threats for Petunia were muttered around the room and Sirius was writing on the list.

**Uncle Vernon opened his mouth, closed it again, opened it once more, shut it, then, apparently struggling to remember how to talk, **

"I wouldn't be surprised" Scorpius muttered.

**opened it for a third time and croaked, "So - so - they - er - they - er - they actually exist, do they - er - Dementy-whatsits?"**

**Aunt Petunia nodded.**

**Uncle Vernon looked from Aunt Petunia to Dudley to Harry as if hoping somebody was going to shout 'April Fool!' When nobody did, he opened his mouth yet again, but was spared the struggle to find more words by the arrival of the third owl of the evening. It zoomed through the still-open window like a feathery cannon-ball and landed with a clatter on the kitchen table, causing all three of the Dursleys to jump with fright. Harry tore a second official-looking envelope from the owls beak and ripped it open as the owl swooped back out into the night.**

"**Enough - effing - owls," muttered Uncle Vernon distractedly, stomping over to the window and slamming it shut again.**

Several people laughed, Luna just had that dreamy look on her face and was staring at a corner as if waiting for something.

_**Dear Mr. Potter,**_

_**Further to our letter of approximately twenty-two minutes ago, the Ministry of Magic has revised its decision to destroy your wand forthwith. You may retain your wand until your disciplinary hearing on the twelfth of August, at which time an official decision will be taken.**_

_**Following discussions with the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Ministry has agreed that the question of your expulsion will also be decided at that time. You should therefore consider yourself suspended from school pending further enquiries.**_

_**With best wishes,**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Mafalda Hopkirk**_

_**Improper Use of Magic Office**_

_**Ministry of Magic**_

**Harry read this letter through three times in quick succession. The miserable knot in his chest loosened slightly with the relief of Knowing he was not yet definitely expelled, though his fears were by no means banished. Everything seemed to hang on this hearing on the twelfth of August.**

"**Well?" said Uncle Vernon, recalling Harry to his surroundings. "What now? Have they sentenced you to anything? Do your lot have the death penalty?" he added as a hopeful afterthought.**

Everyone looked shocked at the extent of Vermin's cruelty.

"**I've got to go to a hearing," said Harry.**

"**And they'll sentence you there?"**

"**I suppose so."**

"**I won't give up hope, then," said Uncle Vernon nastily.**

Everyone looked horrified. Luna turned to Sirius,

"May I have a look at that list there?" She asked in that lilting voice of hers. Sirius shrugged and handed it over with a quill. Luna started writing and seemed to get a malicious smirk on her face. Everyone looked surprised, they had yet to see Luna look like that, but Scorpius and Harry just smirked.

"**Well, if that's all," said Harry, getting to his feet. He was desperate to be alone, to think, perhaps to send a letter to Ron, Hermione or Sirius.**

"**NO, IT –**

Sirius stopped yelling mid-sentence with a look of someone who just swallowed a jar of peanut butter. Everyone started laughing, except Luna. She laughed a bit but went back staring at the wall and had this look like she had just wandered into the room.

When the laughter died down Harry took the book from Sirius, with a smirk on his face, handed it to Regulus and sat down. Sirius tried shouting something but no one could understand him, Regulus started to read, not yelling I might add. Lily subtly put her wand back into her pocket, smirking. No one noticed but Luna, who just continued to smile serenely.

**RUDDY WELL IS NOT ALL!" bellowed Uncle Vernon. "SIT BACK DOWN!"**

"**What now?" said Harry impatiently.**

"Yes, What Now!" James whined.

Suddenly James shrieked, and fell on the floor. Remus went over and helped him up, Then promptly dropped him as he burst out laughing.

James's hair had turned green with silver streaks in it. He also had a binky sticking out of his mouth. Lily pocketed her wand again without anybody noticing, but Regulus and Scorpius gave Lily a wink. Lily just smirked at them; she seemed to be losing patience with the marauders.

James looked around, trying to find the culprit but everyone was laughing and he couldn't tell.

He sat down with a pout next to Sirius, alternating between glaring at the Slytherins and Remus for dropping him.

"**DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon. "I want to know exactly what happened to my son!"**

"**FINE!" yelled Harry, and in his temper, red and gold sparks shot out of the end of his wand, still clutched in his hand. All three Dursleys flinched, looking terrified.**

The marauders grinned at the colors, Lily muttered "Boys!".

"**Dudley and I were in the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk," said Harry, speaking fast, fighting to control his temper. "Dudley thought he'd be smart with me, I pulled out my wand but didn't use it. Then two Dementors turned up —"**

"**But what ARE Dementoids?" asked Uncle Vernon furiously. "What do they DO?"**

"**I told you - they suck all the happiness out of you," said Harry, "and if they get the chance, they kiss you -**

"**Kiss you?" said Uncle Vernon, his eyes popping slightly. "Kiss you?"**

"**It's what they call it when they suck the soul out of your mouth."**

**Aunt Petunia uttered a soft scream.**

"**His soul? They didn't take - he's still got his -"**

**She seized Dudley by the shoulders and shook him, as though testing to see whether she could hear his soul rattling around inside him.**

Despite how terrible a fate being kissed is no one could help laughing that how ridiculous that was

"**Of course they didn't get his soul, you'd know if they had," said Harry, exasperated.**

"Oh yes, you would know." Remus muttered darkly.

No one said anything.

"**Fought 'em off, did you, son?" said Uncle Vernon loudly, with the appearance of a man struggling to bring the conversation back on to a plane he understood. "Gave 'em the old one-two, did you?"]**

Several people scoffed at that idiotic comment.

"**You can't give a Dementor the old one-two," said Harry through clenched teeth.**

"**Why's he all right, then?" blustered Uncle Vernon. "Why isn't he all empty, then?"**

Remus looked incredulous

"No one can be that stupid!"

"**Because I used the Patronus -"**

**WHOOSH. With a clattering, a whirring of wings and a soft fall of dust, a fourth owl came shooting out of the kitchen fireplace.**

"**FOR GOD'S SAKE!" roared Uncle Vernon, pulling great clumps of hair out of his moustache, something he hadn't been driven to do in a long time. "I WILL NOT HAVE OWLS HERE, I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS, I TELL YOU!"**

Snickers and laughter filled the room.

**But Harry was already pulling a roll of parchment from the owl's leg. He was so convinced that this letter had to be from Dumbledore, explaining everything - the Dementors, Mrs. Figg, what the Ministry was up to, how he, Dumbledore, intended to sort everything out - that for the first time in his life he was disappointed to see Sirius's handwriting. **

"Oh thanks so much Pup!" Sirius said sarcastically

Harry looked down sheepishly, everyone else started laughing.

**Ignoring Uncle Vernon's on going rant about owls, and narrowing his eyes against a second cloud of dust as the most recent owl look off back up the chimney, Harry read Sirius's message.**

_**Arthur's just told us what's happened. Don't leave the house again, whatever you do.**_

"That's all I said!" Sirius said disbelievingly looking at Harry. Harry just shrugged

"I guess you were busy trying to help Dumbledore and wanted to get a letter to me quickly, you knew I did rash things."

Sirius was placated but still annoyed at his future self.

**Harry found this such an inadequate response to everything that had happened tonight that he turned the piece of parchment over, looking for the rest of the letter, but there was nothing else.**

Everyone else was muttering agreements

**And now his temper was rising again. Wasn't anybody going to say 'well done' for fighting off two Dementors single-handed? Both Mr. Weasley and Sirius were acting as though he'd misbehaved, and were saving their tellings-off until they could ascertain how much damage had been done.**

"They didn't mean it like that Harry." Lily said

Harry looked sheepish,

"I know and there is probably going to be a lot of angst in the book."

Lily just smiled reassuringly

"Fifteen is a hard age." Harry gave her a small smile and started reading again

"…**A peck, I mean, pack of owls shooting in and out of my house. I won't have it, boy, I won't-"**

"**I can't stop the owls coming," Harry snapped, crushing Sirius's letter in his fist.**

"You might as well crush my heart Harry!" Sirius said dramatically with his hand covering his eyes with his head thrown back.

That got a lot of laughs and Harry joined in

"Oh my dear Godfather, will you ever forgive me?" Harry replied even more dramatically (if that's even possible). Sirius put a hand over his heart,

"Maybe with time my dear godson." He said bowing his head in mock seriousness.

Everyone laughed at their antics, if it wasn't for the difference in eye color, anyone could have mistaken Harry for James.

"**I want the truth about what happened tonight!" barked Uncle Vernon. "If it was Demenders who hurt Dudley, how come you've been expelled? You did you-know-what, you've admitted it!"**

"The coward" Scorpius muttered

**Harry took a deep, steadying breath. His head was beginning to ache again. He wanted more than anything to get out of the kitchen, and away from the Dursleys.**

"**I did the Patronus Charm to get rid of the Dementors," he said, forcing himself to remain calm.**

"**But what were Dementoids doing in Little Whinging?" said Uncle Vernon in an outraged tone.**

"**Couldn't tell you," said Harry wearily. "No idea."**

**His head was pounding in the glare of the strip-lighting now. His anger was ebbing away. He felt drained, exhausted. The Dursleys were all staring at him.**

"**It's you," said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "It's got something to do with you, boy, I know it. **

**Why else would they turn up here? Why else would they be down that alleyway? You've got to be the only - the only -" Evidently, he couldn't bring himself to say the word 'wizard' "the only you know-what for miles."**

"**I don't know why they were here."**

**But at Uncle Vernon's words, Harry's exhausted brain had ground back into action. Why had the Dementors come to Little Whinging? How could it be coincidence that they had arrived in the alleyway where Harry was? Had they been sent? Had the Ministry of Magic lost control of the Dementors? Had they deserted Azkaban and joined Voldemort, as Dumbledore had predicted they would?**

Everyone looked at each other, worried.

"**These Demembers guard some weirdo's prison?" asked Uncle Vernon, lumbering along in the wake of Harry's train of thought.**

"**Yes," said Harry.**

**If only his head would stop hurting, if only he could just leave the kitchen and get to his dark bedroom and think…**

"**Oho! They were coming to arrest you!" said Uncle Vernon, with the triumphant air of a man reaching an unassailable conclusion. "That's it, isn't it, boy? You're on the run from the law!"**

Everyone looked incredulous.

"**Of course I'm not," said Harry, shaking his head as though to scare off a fly, his mind racing now.**

"**Then why -?"**

"**He must have sent them," said Harry quietly, more to himself than to Uncle Vernon.**

"**What's that? Who must have sent them?"**

"**Lord Voldemort," said Harry.**

**He registered dimly how strange it was that the Dursleys, who flinched, winced and squawked if they heard words like 'wizard', 'magic' or 'wand', could hear the name of the most evil wizard of all time without the slightest tremor.**

"**Lord - hang on," said Uncle Vernon, his face screwed up, a look of dawning comprehension coming into his piggy eyes. "I've heard that name… that was the one who —"**

"**Murdered my parents, yes," Harry said dully.**

Shocked gasps filled the room, some had assumed that something bad had happened to Lily and James but no one wanted to say it and to have their fears confirmed…

Remus and Sirius's faces were horrorstruck and white as a corpse. Regulus looked white and terribly sad. Scorpius and Luna just exchanged grim, sad looks. James bowed his head, hiding his tears, Lily clung to him while she sobbed. Harry hesitantly went over and gave his mother a hug, she responded by latching on to him in a tight hug that could rival Mrs. Weasely's, and started mumbling about being so sorry and Harry being an orphan and it being her fault.

Sirius finally regained the ability to speak, though his voice was hoarse

"No…nonono… I won't let that happen, it can't happen!"

Remus said the same thing and vowed to himself that he would do anything he could to prevent their deaths he then went over and tried to comfort Sirius as the poor dog animagus had transformed and went on James's lap who was trying to console Lily and fight tears at the same time.

James was horrorstruck at the thought of his Lily-Flower dying and poor Harry being an orphan, he vowed then to do anything, even sacrifice himself to save Harry and Lily and if he failed to do everything in his power that Harry did not grow up in the Dursley household.

Everyone was quiet for some time as they came to grips with this new revelation.

Slowly and with regret Lily let go of Harry and James and went over to pick up the book, she held it as though it was a rattlesnake readying to bite her. And ever the voice of reason

"O.K, look, We are going to retain our memories. Kairoi said we would remember so now we know to make sure to prevent his and we can fix it." Everyone looked like they were comforted a little by that fact and prepared themselves to start reading.

"And I will not let Harry grow up an orphan and unloved in the Dursley's house" She had the look that a tigress would when seeing her cub in danger and spoke the Dursley's name as if it were a curse.

Hesitantly Harry picked up the book and started to read.

"**But he's gone," said Uncle Vernon impatiently, without the slightest sign that the murder of Harry's parents might be a painful topic.**

Lily winced.

**"That giant bloke said so. He's gone."**

"**He's back," said Harry heavily.**

**It felt very strange to be standing here in Aunt Petunia's surgically clean kitchen, beside the top of-the-range fridge and the wide-screen television, talking calmly of Lord Voldemort to Uncle Vernon. The arrival of the Dementors in Little Whinging seemed to have breached the great, invisible wall that divided the relentlessly non-magical world of Privet Drive and the world beyond, Harry's two lives had somehow become fused and everything had been turned upside-down; the Dursleys were asking for details about the magical world, and Mrs. Figg knew Albus Dumbledore; Dementors were soaring around Little Whinging, and he might never return to Hogwarts. Harry's head throbbed more painfully.**

"**Back?" whispered Aunt Petunia.**

**She was looking at Harry as she had never looked at him before. And all of a sudden, for the very first time in his life, Harry fully appreciated that Aunt Petunia was his mother's sister. He could not have said why this hit him so very powerfully at this moment. All he knew was that he was not the only person in the room who had an inkling of what Lord Voldemort being back might mean. **

Everyone looked grim.

**Aunt Petunia had never in her life looked at him like that before. Her large, pale eyes (so unlike her sister's) were not narrowed in dislike or anger, they were wide and fearful.**

Lily smiled sadly.

**The furious pretense that Aunt Petunia had maintained all Harry's life - that there was no magic and no world other than the world she inhabited with Uncle Vernon - seemed to have fallen away.**

"**Yes," Harry said, talking directly to Aunt Petunia now. "He came back a month ago. I saw him."**

**Her hands found Dudley's massive leather-clad shoulders and clutched them.**

'A mother protecting her child. Tuney may not be very good at teaching her son but she will go any lengths any loving mother would' Lily thought to herself sadly.

"**Hang on," said Uncle Vernon, looking from his wife to Harry and back again, apparently dazed and confused by the unprecedented understanding that seemed to have sprung up between them.**

"**Hang on. This Lord Voldything's back, you say."**

"**Yes."**

"**The one who murdered your parents."**

Everyone winced at that, it was still a painful thing, still raw.

"**Yes."**

"**And now he's sending Dismembers after you?"**

"**Looks like it," said Harry.**

"**I see," said Uncle Vernon, looking from his white - faced wife to Harry and hitching up his trousers. He seemed to be swelling, his great purple face stretching before Harry's eyes. "Well, that settles it," he said, his shirt front straining as he inflated himself, "you can get out of this house, boy!"**

"How does that idiots mind work!" James shouted

"I don't know Paddy, you would know how an idiot's mind works wouldn't you" Sirius asked with an innocent face.

"Well he is-"James's reply got cut off by laughter. He looked around confused

"What!" Sirius, still laughing, put his arm on James's shoulder in sympathy.

"Prongs mate, you just gave proof off how much an idiot you are." He said laughing.

"Not as much as an idiot as you Paddy." James said seriously, Sirius looked at him amused

"And how is that Prongs?"

"For leaving yourself vulnerable!"

James then tackled Sirius and the two proceeded to get in an impromptu wrestling match. It was obvious by their jokes and kidding around they loved to make fun of each other, they didn't mean anything by it.

Everyone laughed.

They all looked relieved for the tense atmosphere to be broken; perhaps that's why Sirius and James did that.

"**What?" said Harry.**

"**You heard me - OUT!" Uncle Vernon bellowed, and even Aunt Petunia and Dudley jumped. **"**OUT! OUT! I should've done this years ago! Owls treating the place like a rest home, puddings exploding, half the lounge destroyed, Dudley's tail, Marge bobbing around on the ceiling and that flying Ford Anglia - OUT! OUT! You've had it! You're history! You're not staying here if some loony's after you, you're not endangering my wife and son, you're not bringing trouble down on us. If you're going the same way as your useless parents, I've had it! OUT!"**

"You can't do that you giant Git!" Lily and the Marauders all shouted at exactly at the same time, something that will most likely never be repeated.

The entire room was filled with laughter at the looks on their faces, Lily's most of all she was doing a fine imitation as a fish. This is something Sirius proceeded to tell her and got smacked on the arm for and then silenced and bound with his hairstyle matching James's

"There Sirius, now you boys can match" Lily said smiling mischievously.

"You did that!" James looked gob smacked, Lily just laughed.

"Why Lily, I always knew you had it in you!" Remus said.

While James and Sirius practiced their imitations of fish, Lily smiled evilly everyone else laughed and Harry started to read again.

**Harry stood rooted to the spot. The letters from the Ministry, Mr. Weasley and Sirius were all crushed in his left hand. Don't leave the house again, whatever you do. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S HOUSE.**

"**You heard me!" said Uncle Vernon, bending forward now, his massive purple face coming so close to Harry's, he actually felt flecks of spit hit his face. "Get going! You were all keen to leave half an hour ago! I'm right behind you! Get out and never darken our doorstep again! Why we ever kept you in the first place, I don't know, Marge was right, it should have been the orphanage. We were too damn soft for our own good, thought we could squash it out of you, thought we could turn you normal, but you've been rotten from the beginning and I've had enough - owls!"**

Now everyone looked outraged, and rightfully so and Harry would have been much happier at an orphanage, thank you very much.

**The fifth owl zoomed down the chimney so fast it actually hit the floor before zooming into the air again with a loud screech. Harry raised his hand to seize the letter, which was in a scarlet envelope, but it soared straight over his head, flying directly at Aunt Petunia, who let out a scream and ducked, her arms over her face. The owl dropped the red envelope on her head, turned, and flew straight back up the chimney.**

Everyone laughed.

**Harry darted forwards to pick up the letter, but Aunt Petunia beat him to it.**

"**You can open it if you like," said Harry, "but I'll hear what it says anyway. That's a Howler."**

"**Let go of it, Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "Don't touch it, it could be dangerous!"**

"**It's addressed to me," said Aunt Petunia in a shaking voice. "It's addressed to me, Vernon, look! Mrs. Petunia Dursley, The Kitchen, Number Four, Privet Drive –"**

**She caught her breath, horrified. The red envelope had begun to smoke.**

"**Open it!' Harry urged her. "Get it over with! It'll happen anyway."**

"**No."**

**Aunt Petunia's hand was trembling. She looked wildly around the kitchen as though looking for an escape route, but too late -the envelope burst into flames. Aunt Petunia screamed and dropped it.**

**An awful voice filled the kitchen, echoing in the confined space, issuing from the burning letter on the table.**

_**Remember my last, Petunia.**_

Everyone looked confused and looked at Harry who just smiled secretly and kept reading.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she might faint. She sank into the chair beside Dudley, her face in her hands. The remains of the envelope smoldered into ash in the silence.**

"**What is this?" Uncle Vernon said hoarsely. "What - I don't -Petunia?"**

**Aunt Petunia said nothing. Dudley was staring stupidly at his mother, his mouth hanging open.**

**The silence spiraled horribly. Harry was watching his aunt, utterly bewildered, his head throbbing fit to burst.**

The people in the room, besides Harry were mirroring that expression.

"**Petunia, dear?" said Uncle Vernon timidly. "P-Petunia?"**

**She raised her head. She was still trembling. She swallowed.**

"**The boy - the boy will have to stay, Vernon," she said weakly.**

They all looked relieved.

"**W-what?"**

"**He stays," she said. She was not looking at Harry. She got to her feet again.**

"**He… but Petunia…"**

"**If we throw him out, the neighbors will talk," she said. She was rapidly regaining her usual brisk, snappish manner, though she was still very pale. "They'll ask awkward questions, they'll want to know where he's gone. We'll have to keep him."**

**Uncle Vernon was deflating like an old tire.**

"**But Petunia, dear –"**

**Aunt Petunia ignored him. She turned to Harry. "You're to stay in your room," she said. "You're not to leave the house. Now get to bed."**

**Harry didn't move.**

"**Who was that Howler from?"**

"**Don't ask questions," Aunt Petunia snapped.**

"**Are you in touch with wizards?"**

"**I told you to get to bed!"**

"**What did it mean? Remember the last what?"**

Everyone else looked like they dearly wanted to know.

"**Go to bed!"**

"**How come -?"**

"**YOU HEARD YOUR AUNT, NOW GET TO BED!"**" Harry finished.

"Well that's it."

They all looked relieved, nobody thought they could deal with much more.

"Now for the next chapter."

"NO" everyone shouted in alarm, except Luna was staring at that corner again. Harry looked at them all, bewildered.

Just then, there was a pop. Everyone looked around wildly, trying to find the source.

Then Luna let out a delighted shriek. They all turned towards here and where utterly bewildered.

Luna held a small creature in her arms, it had a horn, stubby ears and had a little tail it was currently wagging it resembled a small hippo almost and had purple fuzzy fur.

"What is that Luna?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Why it's a crumple-Horned Snorkack of course."

Everyone turned to stare at Kairoi, who had just popped in.

Everyone but Harry and Scorpius gaped at her.

"Seriously, one of those weird creatures Xenophilius is always talking about? They're real?" James asked, disbelieving.

Kairoi just nodded, smiling slightly.

Harry just kept laughing, he didn't see what was so astonishing, they lived in a world of magic, and of course not everything has been discovered yet.

"Now, I heard you just finished chapter two. I just popped in to say pick up the pace and I needed Luna to baby sit Mimi." They all goggled at Kairoi. She then popped out.

Everyone shrugged, Remus picked up the book to get started while Luna played with Mimi a little to his left.

And I am finally done with that chapter, it took forever!

I picking up with more humor and no Ron and Hermione will not be explained soon.

That will happen later. I might add some Lily and James but I wanna pick up with this story.

I wouldn't have included Order of Phoenix, but I wanted the scene in the department on mysteries in

The Story, so…

Anyways I will update as soon as possible but I have three stories to pick from and if you want this updated I will need some reviews…

So anyways, until next time and we might be meeting a certain Metamorphmagus soon…

BYE!


	4. The Advanced Guard

Sorry this took so long, I got delayed with some test at school.

p.s I tried to add more dialogue this time and no it doesn't break between chapters.

Disclaimer: A girl sits in front of a computer, laughing manically.

"Once this virus gets to J.K's computer I will own the Harry Potter world!"

The fluffy white cat on her lap purrs, she strokes it.

"I don't own the Harry Potter world yet, Mcleod. But I will soon. Muawhahaha-"

She cuts off coughing,

"Sorry, hairball."

On with the story!

As Remus started to read, Lily was curled up in James' lap. Scorpius and Luna were both playing with Mimi. No one noticed the faint glow coming from a corner off the room.

_**Chapter 3**_

_**The advanced guard **_Remus read,

""Oh, I bet Moody is in the guard!" James said excitedly. Scorpius looked confused,

"Who?" James looked at him shocked

"One of the greatest auras! He's legendary and very close to Dumbledore too."

"Oh, yeah. I remember reading something about him, he-"Scorpius got cut off by Luna's hand over his mouth. Harry smiled at James

"You'll find out later, future secret and all." Harry elbowed Scorpius in the stomach when he tried to talk again. James looked at him, confused.

All the past teenagers were looking curious, but not having much of a clue to go by, it could be anything.

Regulus looked hopefully at Scorpius; sure he would drop a hint to a fellow Slytherin.

"Well," Scorpius whispered, "What happened was-"

But Scorpius was once again cut off by Luna, this time though it was a silencing charm.

Scorpius alternated between glaring at Harry for taking his wand and Luna for silencing him.

Regulus would have helped but did not want to make Luna angry with him, he'd seen what damage she could do.

_**I've just been attacked by Dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here.**_

"You won't get expelled Harry, Dumbledore will protect you."

James said confidently.

Harry smiled at his dad but when he looked away muttered under his breath about Dumbledore and manipulations and naiveté.

**Harry copied these words on to three separate pieces of parchment the moment he reached the desk in his dark bedroom. He addressed the first to Sirius, **

"Hah! I'm first!"

Sirius cheered

"Well, you are the adult and his guardian; it's a no brainer he would try to get information from you first." Lily said practically. Sirius, being the mature teenager he was stuck his tongue out at her.

**the second to Ron and the third to Hermione. **

"Ooh, girlfriend Harry?" James and Sirius raised their eyebrows suggestively.

Remus slapped them both on the back of their heads, muttering behave to them, while shaking his head.

Lily was looking excitedly at Harry,

"Tell me about her Harry, oh please is she your girlfriend? Is she nice? Does she like to read?"

Harry stared at her, shocked.

"Umm, well. Hermione isn't my girlfriend and it would feel like incest if she was. She is a bookworm and yeah she's nice, she would always follow Dumbledore and she thought teachers were always to be respected, even our potions teacher." He trailed off, looking melancholy and regretful.

Remus tried to relieve the tension

"Kind of like Lily, huh."

A few people smiled but Harry and Luna looked angry, but nobody noticed. However great Hermione had been, they both knew she couldn't be trusted and she had betrayed them.

Also she really hated Luna and thought Luna was an idiot and couldn't see past the Loony Lovegood persona everyone thought Luna was like.

Although, Luna had taken great pleasure in showing her otherwise.

So no, Hermione was nothing like his loyal, compassionate mother who could think for herself.

**His owl, Hedwig, was off hunting;**

"Is she a snowy owl, Harry?" Lily asked. Harry looked at her surprised,

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Lily and James beamed at him.

"James' owl and mine are snowy owls." Harry smiled, thinking fondly off Hagrid, Hagrid had probably known that too and why he had gotten Hedwig.

He waved to Remus to continue reading.

**her cage stood empty on the desk. Harry paced the bedroom waiting for her to come back, his head pounding, his brain too busy for sleep even though his eyes stung and itched with tiredness. His back ached from hauling Dudley home, and the two lumps on his head where the window and Dudley had hit him were throbbing painfully.**

"Ohh, Harry! You'll feel better soon, you just need some sleep." Lily fretted, wringing her hands.

She didn't notice Sirius' silent bark-like laughs or chose to ignore it. Luna looked at him annoyed, fingering her wand while she subtly pointed it at Sirius.

**Up and down he paced, consumed with anger and frustration, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists, casting angry looks out at the empty, star-strewn sky every time he passed the window. Dementors sent to get him, Mrs. Figg and Mundungus Fletcher tailing him in secret, then suspension from Hogwarts and a hearing at the Ministry of Magic - and still no one was telling him what was going on.**

"Got the Potter tendencies to be impatient and temperamental I see."

"No Prongs, he got yours and Lily-Flowers tempers."

Lily twitched at being called that, while Remus ignored the silent laughter off everybody and continued reading.

**And what, what, had that Howler been about? Whose voice had echoed so horribly, so menacingly, through the kitchen?**

Everyone looked at each other curious, they all wanted to know too.

**Why was he still trapped here without information? Why was everyone treating him like some naughty kid? **_**Don't do any more magic, stay in the house…**_

**He kicked his school trunk as he passed it, but far from relieving his anger he felt worse, as he now had a sharp pain in his toe to deal with in addition to the pain in the rest of his body.**

"Harry, that won't make it better…" Lily sighed and shook her head; pretty much the entire group was feeling bad for Harry right now and wanting to kick something.

**Just as he limped past the window, Hedwig soared through it with a soft rustle of wings like a small ghost.**

"awww…"Lily cooed softly

**'About time!' Harry snarled, as she landed lightly on top of her cage. 'You can put that down, I've got work for you!' **

"Harry! Don't speak to your owl that way!" Lily scolded

Harry smiled sheepishly, "Sorry mum"

A couple of the guys laughed softly, but Sirius didn't even try to hide his laughter, he obviously thought Harry getting in trouble with his mom was bloody hilarious. A loud bang filled the room and Sirius was thrown back a few feet. (A/n I know I didn't say James and Sirius had their hair returned normal but let's pretend they did.) Sirius stood up shakily and the room exploded with laughter, Sirius' hair had turned into greasy strands that resembled silver snakes that were singing "Sirius loves Slytherins" and his skin had turned a sparkling emerald color and the previous phrase printed in silver all over.

Sirius looked at a mirror that had suddenly appeared and screamed, clutching his snaky hair.

"My hair! My beautiful hair! What have you done to it?" This sent Lily who was just recovering into another fit of giggles.

It took about ten minutes for everyone to calm down but whenever anyone looked at Sirius they had to cover their mouths. He was sitting in front of the mirror bemoaning his 'beautiful' hair.

Luna got high-fived subtly by Harry and Scorpius who were used to seeing her do things like this.

Once, James, Remus and Lily had calmed Sirius enough ( Regulus refused to help, he just sat there laughing his ass off) to listen to the story but failed in reversing the charms, the group sat down to read again, little snakes singing Sirius loves Slytherins in the background.

**Hedwig's large, round, amber eyes gazed at him reproachfully over the dead frog clamped in her beak.**

Sirius shuddered, frogs made him think off reptiles, which made him think off snakes which reminded him off his poor hair, he would have to beg Lily to change it back.

**'Come here,' said Harry, picking up the three small rolls of parchment and a leather thong and tying the scrolls to her scaly leg. 'Take these straight to Sirius, Ron and Hermione and don't come back here without good long replies. Keep pecking them till they've written decent-length answers if you've got to. Understand?'**

Lily and Sirius looked at Harry reproachfully, Luna and Scorpius snickered, serves Ron and Hermione right.

**Hedwig gave a muffled hooting noise, her beak still full of frog.**

'Get going, then,' said Harry.

"Harry!" Lily scolded, loudly I might add.

"Sorry mum" He mumbled

**She took off immediately. The moment she'd gone, Harry threw himself down on his bed without undressing and stared at the dark ceiling. In addition to every other miserable feeling, he now felt guilty that he'd been irritable with Hedwig; **

"There you go, Harry." Lily said proudly, she was proud her baby was showing more compassion, even though he was angry.

**she was the only friend he had at number four, Privet Drive. **

A couple people sighed sadly, poor Harry. They couldn't wait to change all of this.

**But he'd make it up to her when she came back with the answers from Sirius, Ron and Hermione.**

"You better young man." Lily said warningly.

Sirius and James cringed, they had heard that tone plenty enough.

Remus was surprised despite himself, he always knew Lily was a motherly sort of person and she was taking to this role like a duck in water, James was too but with a more easy going air.

**They were bound to write back quickly; they couldn't possibly ignore a Dementor attack. **

"I should hope not" Remus muttered.

**He'd probably wake up tomorrow to three fat letters full of sympathy and plans for his immediate removal to The Burrow. **

All of the future people snorted.

**And with that comforting idea, sleep rolled over him, stifling all further thought.**

**But Hedwig didn't return next morning. **

Lily sighed, Sirius looked extremely annoyed with himself.

**Harry spent the day in his bedroom, leaving it only to go to the bathroom. Three times that day Aunt Petunia shoved food into his room through the cat-flap Uncle Vernon had installed three summers ago. Every time Harry heard her approaching he tried to question her about the Howler, but he might as well have interrogated the doorknob for all the answers he got. **

"Petunia's very good at that." Lily said coldly. James put his arm around her comfortingly.

**Otherwise, the Dursleys kept well clear of his bedroom. Harry couldn't see the point of forcing his company on them; another row would achieve nothing except perhaps make him so angry he'd perform more illegal magic.**

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" Sirius chanted

"Sirius!" James, Lily and Remus shouted at him.

"What? The muggles treat him horribly, they deserve it."

"Don't make me curse you again, Sirius Black!" Luna warned. The past people stared at Luna, gobsmacked. The future people just laughed at everybody.

"You-But- Change it back!" Sirius spluttered indignantly.

"Not with that attitude." Luna said coldly.

James looked uneasily at the showdown, this needed to stop soon. But Remus beat him to the punch,

"Luna, we know he doesn't deserve, but we do need to finish this chapter."

Luna sighed and complied.

"You better shut up Sirius." She warned.

Remus wisely continued reading.

**So it went on for three whole days. Harry was alternately filled with restless energy that made him unable to settle to anything, during which time he paced his bedroom, furious at the whole lot of them for leaving him to stew in this mess; and with a lethargy so complete that he could lie on his bed for an hour at a time, staring dazedly into space, aching with dread at the thought of the Ministry hearing.**

"Oh, Harry Darling." Lily sighed.

Sirius nudged Luna, looking at her pleadingly. Luna just shook her head. Sirius got on his knees, giving her the puppy eyes. Luna looked at him, faltering a little, dang puppy eyes. She stared resolutely at the books. Sirius nudged her again,

"Oh Fine!." She flicked her wand and Sirius was back to normal. Luna turned away, muttering about puppy dog eyes and menaces.

Scorpius laughed quietly, "Going soft Luna?" Luna glared at him, her look clearly saying don't push your luck, Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius just turned away, laughing.

Sirius cheered, while Remus wisely ignored at all and continued reading.

**What if they ruled against him? What if he was expelled and his wand was snapped in half? What would he do, where would he go? **

"They've no right Harry." James said protectively.

**He could not return to living full-time with the Dursleys, not now he knew the other world, the one to which he really belonged. Might he be able to move into Sirius's house, as Sirius had suggested a year ago, before he had been forced to flee from the Ministry? **

Sirius looked uneasy, what had he done to deserve that?

**Would Harry be allowed to live there alone, given that he was still underage? Or would the matter of where he went next be decided for him? Had his breach of the International Statute of Secrecy been severe enough to land him in a cell in Azkaban?**

Remus looked appalled

"Of course not!"

**Whenever this thought occurred, Harry invariably slid off his bed and began pacing again.**

**On the fourth night after Hedwig's departure Harry was lying in one of his apathetic phases, staring at the ceiling, his exhausted mind quite blank, when his uncle entered his bedroom. Harry looked slowly around at him. Uncle Vernon was wearing his best suit and an expression of enormous smugness.**

Shouts of git filled the room.

**'We're going out,' he said.**

**'Sorry?'**

**'We - that is to say, your aunt, Dudley and I - are going out.'**

"Why would he want to go with you anyway?" Sirius shouted.

**'Fine,' said Harry dully, looking back at the ceiling.**

**'You are not to leave your bedroom while we are away.'**

**'OK.'**

"Which means, Of course I will, stupid." Sirius said

**'You are not to touch the television, the stereo, or any of our possessions.'**

**'Right.'**

"Which means, I'll damage them just for you." Remus said.

**'You are not to steal food from the fridge.'**

**'OK.'**

"Which means, I going to eat out the fridge and leave the kitchen a mess." James added.

**'I am going to lock your door.'**

**'You do that.'**

"Which means, I'll just pick the lock then." Lily said, laughing at the marauders expressions. They looked at each other in glee, Lily would be so good at coming up with pranks, yes even Remus.

**Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, clearly suspicious of this lack of argument, **

"Wow, an actual intelligent thing he's thought." Regulus muttered.

**then stomped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Harry heard the key turn in the lock and Uncle Vernon's footsteps walking heavily down the stairs. A few minutes later he heard the slamming of car doors, the rumble of an engine, and the unmistakable sound of the car sweeping out of the drive.**

James and Sirius looked at eachother gleefully, alone in the Dursley's house, oh the chaos they could cause. Harry looked at them with a pang of sadness, they really resembled the twins. He looked around all of these people have sad stories to tell and pain and suffering to come.

**Harry had no particular feeling about the Dursleys leaving. It made no difference to him whether they were in the house or not. He could not even summon the energy to get up and turn on his bedroom light. The room grew steadily darker around him as he lay listening to the night sounds through the window he kept open all the time, waiting for the blessed moment when Hedwig returned. The empty house creaked around him. The pipes gurgled. Harry lay there in a kind of stupor, thinking of nothing, suspended in misery.**

**Then, quite distinctly, he heard a crash in the kitchen below. **

Everyone started, they hadn't expected that, well the people from the past that is.

**He sat bolt upright, listening intently. The Dursleys couldn't be back, it was much too soon, and in any case he hadn't heard their car.**

All the past teens were tense and worried; Lily was biting her nails too.

The future teens just rolled their eyes; they had to expect the worst.

**There was silence for a few seconds, then voices. Burglars, he thought, sliding off the bed on to his feet - but a split second later it occurred to him that burglars would keep their voices down, and whoever was moving around in the kitchen was certainly not troubling to do so.**

Harry rolled his eyes as if to say 'see, I told you so'

**He snatched up his wand from the bedside table and stood facing his bedroom door, listening with all his might. **

"No Harry! You'll get expelled!" Lily shouted

Remus looked at her, "And you'd rather he was hurt?"

Lily turned red, "No!"

Then calming down she simply said

"I just don't want him hurt."

Harry sighed; his poor mum was going to have to see a lot of that in these books.

**Next moment, he jumped as the lock gave a loud click and his door swung open. **

"Someone attacking him wouldn't have let him free." Remus said with his eyes narrowed,

Sirius, James and Lily looked at each other, relieved.

**Harry stood motionless, staring through the open doorway at the dark upstairs landing, straining his ears for further sounds, but none came. He hesitated for a moment, then moved swiftly and silently out of his room to the head of the stairs.**

**His heart shot upwards into his throat. There were people standing in the shadowy hall below, silhouetted against the streetlight glowing through the glass door; eight or nine of them, all, as far as he could see, looking up at him.**

**'Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone's eye out,' said a low, growling voice.**

"Padfoot, 10 galleons says that's Moody." James interrupted.

Sirius thought about,

"You're on."

"

**Harry's heart was thumping uncontrollably. He knew that voice, but he did not lower his wand.**

**'Professor Moody?' he said uncertainly.**

"Hah! Pay up. Wait, professor?" James looked at Harry.

"He was the fourth year defense teacher." Harry answered.

James looked dubious, "And was he good?"

"Definitely," Harry answered. Moody had said he would have taught them pretty much the same, even though he was annoyed a death eater taught like him.

"Huh." James turned to Remus, motioning him to read.

"James, Sirius didn't pay you yet" Regulus said.

Sirius glared at his brother, as he handed the money to a gloating James.

Scorpius and Regulus high-fived.

**'I don't know so much about "Professor",' growled the voice, 'never got round to much teaching, did I? Get down here, we want to see you properly.'**

**Harry lowered his wand slightly but did not relax his grip on it, nor did he move. He had very good reason to be suspicious. He had recently spent nine months in what he had thought was Mad-Eye Moody's company only to find out that it wasn't Moody at all, but an impostor; an impostor, moreover, who had tried to kill Harry before being unmasked. **

The marauders and Lily looked at Harry in shock.

"But you just said- a death eater!" James spluttered

Harry looked at him calmly,

"And the death eater impersonated him meaning he taught pretty much how Moody would have making Moody a good teacher."

"But he was a death eater!" Harry shook his head, James couldn't see past the label death eater. Though admittedly most of them had chosen a life of killing and reveled in torturing muggles and 'blood traitors' alike, only one death eater so far that Harry knew of, had shown any repentance, true repentance for whatever acts Voldemort had made them commit or done willingly.

Harry observed Regulus quietly, from what he'd heard Regulus was forced into it too, family honor and all. And from what he'd seen, Regulus didn't seem the type to enjoy a killing spree.

Harry noticed that Regulus was looking rather uncomfortable with the conversation so he grabbed the book from Remus and started reading.

**But before he could make a decision about what to do next, a second, slightly hoarse voice floated upstairs.**

**'It's all right, Harry. We've come to take you away.'**

**Harry's heart leapt. He knew that voice, too, though he hadn't heard it for over a year.**

**'P-Professor Lupin?' he said disbelievingly. 'Is that you?'**

"You're a Professor!" Sirius and James shouted in unison.

Remus smiled, "Yeah, guess I am." He'd always wanted to be a professor, and even if it was for such a short time he still got the chance.

Sirius and James noticed the look on their friends face, they knew Remus always felt he could never really do what he wanted because of his furry little problem so they decided not to tease him about it.

Lily smiled at Remus, "I'm sure you did a great job."

Regulus, Sirius and James all agreed with her.

"Oh, he was the best we'd ever had."

"Besides you Harry." Luna added. James stared at his son, Lily couldn't have looked happier.

"You taught?" James sounded very proud of him, Harry smiled

"Not technically, I just taught some secret meetings since we didn't have a competent teacher."

That didn't diminish everyone's proud smiles, Harry blushed and continued reading.

**'Why are we all standing in the dark?' said a third voice, this one completely unfamiliar, a woman's. 'Lumos.'**

**A wand-tip flared, illuminating the hall with magical light. Harry blinked. The people below were crowded around the foot of the stairs, gazing up at him intently, some craning their heads for a better look.**

Regulus snorted, "Typical."

**Remus Lupin stood nearest to him. Though still quite young, Lupin looked tired and rather ill; he had more grey hairs than when Harry had last said goodbye to him and his robes were more patched and shabbier than ever. **

James, Sirius and Lily looked at Remus sadly, he deserved better than that.

Unknown to the rest of them Regulus was having similar thoughts, he had gotten to like Remus in this short time and Remus didn't deserve the prejudice he was surely getting in the future.

**Nevertheless, he was smiling broadly at Harry, who tried to smile back despite his state of shock.**

Scorpius laughed quietly, this Harry was so different than the older Harry he knew.

**'Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would,' said the witch who was holding her lit wand aloft. She looked the youngest there; she had a pale heart-shaped face, dark twinkling eyes, and short spiky hair that was a violent shade of violet. 'Wotcher, Harry!'**

Sirius' eyes lit up, could that be little Nymphie?

**'Yeah, I see what you mean, Remus,' said a bald black wizard standing furthest back - he had a deep, slow voice and wore a single gold hoop in his ear - 'he looks exactly like James.'**

Everyone smiled broadly, even Harry, it didn't annoy him to hear the same thing everytime he met someone new now, he had his looks as a tribute to his parents and was proud that he could keep them alive in a small way.

**'Except the eyes,' said a wheezy-voiced, silver-haired wizard at the back. 'Lily's eyes.'**

Lily beamed, she would never get tired of hearing that.

**Mad-Eye Moody, who had long grizzled grey hair and a large chunk missing from his nose, was squinting suspiciously at Harry through his mismatched eyes. One eye was small, dark and beady, the other large, round and electric blue - the magical eye that could see through walls, doors and the back of Moody's own head. 'Are you quite sure it's him, Lupin?' he growled. 'It'd be a nice lookout if we bring back some Death Eater impersonating him. We ought to ask him something only the real Potter would know. Unless anyone brought any Veritaserum?'**

Regulus snorted, that was Moody to a tee, paranoid to a fault, though it made him a damn good aura.

**'Harry, what form does your Patronus take?' Lupin asked. **

**'A stag,' said Harry nervously. **

"It is!" James said looking proud. The rest of the marauders beamed, they all realized the significance of that. Harry nodded with a soft smile on his face. It was nice to have these people who were such important facets in his life proud of him.

**'That's him, Mad-Eye,' said Lupin.**

**Very conscious of everybody still staring at him, Harry descended the stairs, stowing his wand in the back pocket of his jeans as he came.**

**'Don't put your wand there, boy!' roared Moody. 'What if it ignited? Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know!'**

The marauders snorted, Luna looked at them shrewdly.

"How do you know its not true?" They paled and immediately removed their wands from their back pockets. Harry and Scorpius snickered, it was nice seeing Luna like this.

Luna just looked back at Mimi and started playing with her, she smiled serenely as Mimi chased a cat toy, content.

**'Who d'you know who's lost a buttock?' the violet-haired woman asked Mad-Eye interestedly.**

Sirius snorted, definitely Nymphie.

**'Never you mind, you just keep your wand out of your back pocket!' growled Mad-Eye. 'Elementary wand-safety, nobody bothers about it anymore.' He stumped off towards the kitchen. 'And I saw that,' he added irritably, as the woman rolled her eyes towards the ceiling.**

Laughs filled the room.

**Lupin held out his hand and shook Harry's. 'How are you?' he asked, looking closely at Harry. **

**'F-fine…'**

Remus smiled to himself. He was obviously worried about Harry.

**Harry could hardly believe this was real. Four weeks with nothing, not the tiniest hint of a plan to remove him from Privet Drive, and suddenly a whole bunch of wizards was standing matter-of-factly in the house as though this was a long-standing arrangement. **

Lily and Harry snorted, wizards were often like that.

**He glanced at the people surrounding Lupin; they were still gazing avidly at him. He felt very conscious of the fact that he had not combed his hair for four days.**

**'I'm - you're really lucky the Dursleys are out…' he mumbled.**

The marauders sighed, think of all the fun they could have had if the Dursleys had been there.

**'Lucky, ha!' said the violet-haired woman. 'It was me who lured them out of the way. Sent a letter by Muggle post telling them they'd been short-listed for the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They're heading off to the prize-giving right now… or they think they are.'**

Sirius smiled, the more he heard the more sure he was that she was little Nymphy, she is very smart.

**Harry had a fleeting vision of Uncle Vernon's face when he realised there was no All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition.**

The entire room exploded with laughter, Sirius and James started doing impressions off Vermin when he found out.

"What do you mean, you fool. I deserve this! I am the most respected man in the neighborhood."

"This is rubbish; i shall be sending a strongly worded letter about this."

"Hogwash, you look it up again. I'm always right."

And things like that, and all of them could imagine Vermin saying stuff as ridiculous as that.

**'We are leaving, aren't we?' he asked. 'Soon?'**

Everyone one cheered, even Regulus. He was slowly getting into the story and he quite liked Harry, well the older one, the younger one was so angsty.

**'Almost at once,' said Lupin, 'we're just waiting for the all-clear.'**

"Would they involve fireworks." James asked, eyes sparkling. Lily slapped him on the back off the head.

"Idiot…" James just grinned.

"And you love me anyways."

Lily looked away, fighting a smile. She and James had been on much better terms this year and were good friends and she was starting to like him a lot.

**'Where are we going? The Burrow?' Harry asked hopefully.**

Remus smiled, "So is Ron a Weasly?"

"Yes." Harry looked annoyed, Remus didn't notice, but Luna did and she put a calming hand on his shoulder. (A/N No Luna and Harry are _not_ together, they're just friends, for both of them.)

"Calm down, they don't know what we do. We know that Ron is a jealous, traitorous sell-out but they don't." Harry sighed,

"I know, you're right." They had pitched their voices so low that nobody had heard them, though Remus was looking at them suspiciously. Harry continued reading.

**'Not The Burrow, no,' said Lupin, motioning Harry towards the kitchen; the little knot of wizards followed, all still eyeing Harry curiously. 'Too risky. We've set up Headquarters somewhere undetectable. It's taken a while…'**

**Mad-Eye Moody was now sitting at the kitchen table swigging from a hip flask, his magical eye spinning in all directions, taking in the Dursleys' many labour-saving appliances.**

**'This is Alastor Moody, Harry.' Lupin continued, pointing towards Moody.**

**'Yeah, I know,' said Harry uncomfortably. It felt odd to be introduced to somebody he'd thought he'd known for a year.**

Regulus snorted, merlin did he know that. Not in such a literal sense but he understood what it was like to suddenly wake up one day and realize someone you know well isn't who they said they were.

**'And this is Nymphadora -'**

Sirius cheered, "Hah! I was right for once!"

Remus and James exchanged looks, it was certainly going to get interesting with Nymphadora in the picture, and she's one feisty witch.

"Who's that?" Lily asked. Regulus grinned proudly at her,

"Sirius' and my awesome niece." Sirius looked at him in surprise.

"You've met her?" Regulus smiled at him.

"Yeah, you know Andromeda's always like me. But she was careful about when she brought Nymphie over." Sirius stared at his brother; maybe they were a lot more alike than he'd always thought. Normally they were always arguing and when they were younger they had always gotten along, after the sorting had caused a rift between them and they had been so angry with each other.

Sirius grinned at his brother,

"Yeah, she always has. She's not the only one."

Regulus looked at his brother, surprised, he caught the silent message. Then he slowly smiled at him, maybe they wouldn't always be at odds.

Harry smiled softly at the brothers before he continued to read.

**'Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus,' said the young witch with a shudder, 'it's Tonks.'**

All the boys who had met Tonks smiled broadly, same old Nymphie.

**'Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only,' finished Lupin.**

**'So would you if your fool of a mother had called you Nymphadora,' muttered Tonks.**

Harry chuckled, he wished he'd gotten to know Tonks better.

**'And this is Kingsley Shacklebolt.'**

**He indicated the tall black wizard, who bowed. 'Elphias Doge.' The wheezy-voiced wizard nodded. 'Dedalus Diggle -'**

Remus snorted, "Isn't that the bloke who set off fireworks in the great hall and made the Christmas trees catch on fire?"

All those who had been present nodded, laughing.

"Yeah, the idiot had really bad aim and instead of spelling Hufflepuffs rule like he wanted to they spelled Hufflepuffs drool. Very unoriginal." Sirius said derisively, he took his pranks very seriously.

(A/n no offense to Hufflepuffs.)

**'We've met before,' squeaked the excitable Diggle, dropping his violet-coloured top hat.**

Regulus muttered something like typical.

**'Emmeline Vance.' **

Sirius grinned, "She's the one with the hot-"

He got cut off by Remus, who was giving him a shut up expression.

Lily and Luna were glaring at Sirius,

"The hot what's, Sirius?" They asked him in dangerous tones.

Sirius wisely decided to let it go.

Lily and Luna muttered to each other about chauvinist pigs.

**A stately-looking witch in an emerald green shawl inclined her head. 'Sturgis Podmore.' **

**A square-jawed wizard with thick straw-coloured hair winked. 'And Hestia Jones.' A pink-cheeked, black-haired witch waved from next to the toaster.**

Lily smiled, Hestia was in her year and she was really nice, Lily was glad she survived the war.

**Harry inclined his head awkwardly at each of them as they were introduced. He wished they would look at something other than him; it was as though he had suddenly been ushered on-stage. He also wondered why so many of them were there.**

**'A surprising number of people volunteered to come and get you,' said Lupin, as though he had read Harry's mind; the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.**

Harry scowled darkly.

Remus laughed quietly, poor Harry, but it was kind of funny.

**'Yeah, well, the more the better,' said Moody darkly. 'We're your guard, Potter.'**

"Obviously." Scorpius and Harry snorted.

Luna looked at the both of them, amused, they would have been great school friends.

**'We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off,' said Lupin, glancing out of the kitchen window. 'We've got about fifteen minutes.'**

Sirius and James both mouthed 'fireworks',

not wanting to anger Remus and the girls.

**'Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?' said the witch called Tonks, who was looking around the kitchen with great interest. **

**'My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right old slob. I suppose it varies, just as it does with wizards?'**

Lily laughed, Tonks had no idea.

**'Er - yeah,' said Harry. 'Look -' he turned back to Lupin, 'what's going on, I haven't heard anything from anyone, what's Vol—?'**

Scorpius snorted, "it's just a name"

**Several of the witches and wizards made odd hissing noises; Dedalus Diggle dropped his hat again and Moody growled, 'Shut up!'**

**'What?' said Harry.**

**'We're not discussing anything here, it's too risky,' said Moody, turning his normal eye on Harry. **

**His magical eye remained focused on the ceiling. 'Damn it,' he added angrily, putting a hand up to the magical eye, 'it keeps getting stuck - ever since that scum wore it.'**

A few people shuddered, they did not want to think about that.

**And with a nasty squelching sound much like a plunger being pulled from a sink, he popped out his eye.**

Lily shuddered, _gross._

**'Mad-Eye, you do know that's disgusting, don't you?' said Tonks conversationally.**

Everyone chuckled appreciatively.

It would be awesome to have Dora, here. Remus thought to himself.

**'Get me a glass of water, would you, Harry,' requested Moody.**

**Harry crossed to the dishwasher, took out a clean glass and filled it with water at the sink, still watched eagerly by the band of wizards. Their relentless staring was starting to annoy him.**

**'Cheers,' said Moody, when Harry handed him the glass. He dropped the magical eyeball into the water and prodded it up and down; the eye whizzed around, staring at them all in turn. 'I want three hundred and sixty degrees visibility on the return journey.'**

**'How're we getting - wherever we're going?' Harry asked.**

"Brooms?" James said

"Portkey?" Lily offered.

"Side-along apparition?" Sirius added.

Harry smiled, it was so nice seeing them so carefree.

**'Brooms,' said Lupin. 'Only way. You're too young to Apparate, they'll be watching the Floo Network and it's more than our life's worth to set up an unauthorised Portkey.'**

"Hah! I was right!" James shouted, while doing a little victory dance.

Lily laughed softly, he was rather cute sometimes

**'Remus says you're a good flier,' said Kingsley Shacklebolt in his deep voice.**

James perked up, looking over at Harry, who was trying not to smile.

**'He's excellent,' said Lupin, who was checking his watch. 'Anyway, you'd better go and get packed, Harry, we want to be ready to go when the signal comes.'**

**'I'll come and help you,' said Tonks brightly.**

Sirius grinned, this should be interesting.

**She followed Harry back into the hall and up the stairs, looking around with much curiosity and interest.**

**'Funny place,' she said. 'It's a bit too clean, d'you know what I mean? Bit unnatural. Oh, this is better,' she added, as they entered Harry's bedroom and he turned on the light.**

Everyone laughed; Tonks was awesome and so right about the Dursleys.

**His room was certainly much messier than the rest of the house. Confined to it for four days in a very bad mood, Harry had not bothered tidying up after himself. Most of the books he owned were strewn over the floor where he'd tried to distract himself with each in turn and thrown it aside; Hedwig's cage needed cleaning out and was starting to smell; and his trunk lay open, revealing a jumbled mixture of Muggle clothes and wizards' robes that had spilled on to the floor around it.**

Lily would have said something but her room at home was almost as bad, so it would be hypocritical if she did.

**Harry started picking up books and throwing them hastily into his trunk. Tonks paused at his open wardrobe to look critically at her reflection in the mirror on the inside of the door.**

**'You know, I don't think violet's really my colour,' she said pensively, tugging at a lock of spiky hair. 'D'you think it makes me look a bit peaky?'**

**'Er -' said Harry, looking up at her over the top of **_**Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland**_**.**

**'Yeah, it does,' said Tonks decisively. She screwed up her eyes in a strained expression as though she was struggling to remember something. A second later, her hair had turned bubble-gum pink.**

Regulus grinned, on his last visit Nymphie had told him how much she like that color.

**'How did you do that?' said Harry, gaping at her as she opened her eyes again.**

"Metamorphmagus, Harry." Remus said as if he should have known that. Luna nodded with Remus, Harry just sighed, he would forever be getting grief for what his book-self thought.

**'I'm a Metamorphmagus,' she said, looking back at her reflection and turning her head so that she could see her hair from all directions. 'It means I can change my appearance at will,' she added, spotting Harry's puzzled expression in the mirror behind her. 'I was born one. I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without any study at all, it was great.'**

Everyone cheered for Tonks.

**'You're an Auror?' said Harry, impressed. Being a Dark-wizard-catcher was the only career he'd ever considered after Hogwarts.**

James, Lily and Sirius grinned, they all wanted to be auroras too.

**'Yeah,' said Tonks, looking proud. 'Kingsley is as well, he's a bit higher up than me, though. I only qualified a year ago. Nearly failed on Stealth and Tracking. I'm dead clumsy, did you hear me break that plate when we arrived downstairs?'**

All the people who knew her laughed, of course it had been her.

**'Can you learn how to be a Metamorphmagus?' Harry asked her, straightening up, completely forgetting about packing. Tonks chuckled.**

"We all wish, Harry." Scorpius said.

Regulus and Luna nodded, they would both love that too.

**'Bet you wouldn't mind hiding that scar sometimes, eh?' Her eyes found the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.**

Everyone snorted, who wouldn't?

**'No, I wouldn't mind,' Harry mumbled, turning away. He did not like people staring at his scar.**

Lily sighed, her motherly instincts rearing its head again.

**'Well, you'll have to learn the hard way, I'm afraid,' said Tonks. 'Metamorphmagi are really rare, they're born, not made. Most wizards need to use a wand, or potions, to change their appearance. But we've got to get going, Harry, we're supposed to be packing,' she added guiltily, looking around at all the mess on the floor.**

**'Oh — yeah,' said Harry, grabbing a few more books.**

**'Don't be stupid, it'll be much quicker if I - pack!' cried Tonks, waving her wand in a long, sweeping movement over the floor. Books, clothes, telescope and scales all soared into the air and flew pell-mell into the trunk. 'It's not very neat,' said Tonks, walking over to the trunk and looking down at the jumble inside. 'My mum's got this knack of getting stuff to fit itself in neatly - she even gets the socks to fold themselves - but I've never mastered how she does it - it's a kind of flick -'**

**She flicked her wand hopefully.**

**One of Harry's socks gave a feeble sort of wiggle and flopped back on top of the mess in the trunk.**

Lily laughed sympathetically, she could never get those cleaning charms exactly right either.

**'Ah, well,' said Tonks, slamming the trunk's lid shut, 'at least it's all in. That could do with a bit of cleaning, too.' She pointed her wand at Hedwig's cage. 'Scourgify.' A few feathers and droppings vanished. 'Well, that's a bit better - I've never quite got the hang of these householdy sort of spells. Right - got everything? Cauldron? Broom? Wow! - A Firebolt!'**

James and Sirius grinned,

"I bet I got that for him." Sirius announced.

**Her eyes widened as they fell on the broomstick in Harry's right hand. It was his pride and joy, a gift from Sirius, an international-standard broomstick.**

"Whoo!"Sirius cheered, "I am an awesome godfather."

Everyone looked at him amused. Harry grinned, he really was.

**'And I'm still riding a Comet Two Sixty,' said Tonks enviously. 'Ah well…wand still in your jeans? Both buttocks still on? **

Everyone laughed.

**OK, let's go. Locomotor trunk.'**

**Harry's trunk rose a few inches into the air. Holding her wand like a conductor's baton, Tonks made the trunk hover across the room and out of the door ahead of them, Hedwig's cage in her left hand. Harry followed her down the stairs carrying his broomstick.**

**Back in the kitchen Moody had replaced his eye, which was spinning so fast after its cleaning it made Harry feel sick to look at it. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Sturgis Podmore were examining the microwave and Hestia Jones was laughing at a potato peeler she had come across while rummaging in the drawers. **

All the half-bloods and muggle-born exchanged looks, wizards were so predictable.

**Lupin was sealing a letter addressed to the Dursleys.**

"Fat lot off good that will do." Regulus muttered

"Yeah, like they'll care." Sirius agreed with a dark look on his face.

James, Lily and Remus exchanged sad looks, what they would give to change this.

**'Excellent,' said Lupin, looking up as Tonks and Harry entered. 'We've got about a minute, I think. We should probably get out into the garden so we're ready. Harry, I've left a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry -'**

"They won't." Sirius muttered.

**'They won't,' said Harry.**

Sirius grinned, great minds think alike.

**'- that you're safe -'**

"That'll just depress them." Lily muttered.

**'That'll just depress them.'**

Lily laughed, like mother like son.

**'- and you'll see them next summer.'**

"Does he have too?" Everyone whined

**'Do I have to?'**

Everyone smiled, despite the sadness of the situation.

**Lupin smiled but made no answer.**

Remus looked very frustrated with himself, why wasn't he doing anything about it, why was he smiling?

**'Come here, boy,' said Moody gruffly, beckoning Harry towards him with his wand. 'I need to Disillusion you.'**

**'You need to what?' said Harry nervously.**

"It means you-" Remus' teacher mode rant was cut off by a silencing charm from Scorpius.

"He's only fifteen and the book will explain." He said exasperatedly.

Everyone laughed at Remus' disgruntled look.

Sirius clapped him on the back, "Don't worry Remmy, you'll be teaching soon enough."

Remus just sent him a withering glare.

Harry stifled a laugh as he started to read.

**'Disillusionment Charm,' said Moody, raising his wand. 'Lupin says you've got an Invisibility Cloak, but it won't stay on while we're flying; this'll disguise you better. Here you go -'**

**He rapped him hard on the top of the head**

"Didn't have to be so hard…" Harry muttered, rubbing his head.

Lily gazed at Harry fondly.

**and Harry felt a curious sensation as though Moody had just smashed an egg there; cold trickles seemed to be running down his body from the point the wand had struck.**

Several people shivered.

Harry took the silencing charm off of Remus and handed him the book back.

**'Nice one, Mad-Eye,' said Tonks appreciatively, staring at Harry's midriff.**

**Harry looked down at his body, or rather, what had been his body, for it didn't look anything like his any more. It was not invisible; it had simply taken on the exact colour and texture of the kitchen unit behind him. He seemed to have become a human chameleon.**

"That's an interesting way to describe it Harry." Lily said thoughtfully.

Harry smiled at his mum.

**'Come on,' said Moody, unlocking the back door with his wand.**

**They all stepped outside on to Uncle Vernon's beautifully kept lawn.**

Lily snorted, "Yeah right."

**'Clear night,' grunted Moody, his magical eye scanning the heavens. 'Could've done with a bit more cloud cover. Right, you,' he barked at Harry, 'we're going to be flying in close formation. Tonks'll be right in front of you, keep close on her tail. Lupin'll be covering you from below I'm going to be behind you. The rest'll be circling us. We don't break ranks for anything, got me? If one of us is killed -'**

Several people frowned worriedly.

**'Is that likely?' Harry asked apprehensively, but Moody ignored him.**

"No, Harry." James said comfortingly.

**'- the others keep flying, don't stop, don't break ranks. If they take out all of us and you survive, Harry, the rear guard are standing by to take over; keep flying east and they'll join you.'**

**'Stop being so cheerful, Mad-Eye, he'll think we're not taking this seriously,' said Tonks, as she strapped Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage into a harness hanging from her broom.**

Everyone laughed, Tonks had a good sense of humor.

**'I'm just telling the boy the plan,' growled Moody. 'Our job's to deliver him safely to Headquarters and if we die in the attempt -'**

**'No one's going to die,' said Kingsley Shacklebolt in his deep, calming voice.**

"Thank you Kingsley." Lily sighed.

**'Mount your brooms, that's the first signal!' said Lupin sharply, pointing into the sky.**

**Far, far above them, a shower of bright red sparks had flared among the stars, Harry recognised them at once as wand sparks. He swung his right leg over his Firebolt, gripped its handle tightly and felt it vibrating very slightly, as though it was as keen as he was to be up in the air once more.**

James grinned, sounded like his son was as keen on flying as he was.

**'Second signal, let's go!' said Lupin loudly as more sparks, green this time,**

Sirius pouted, "why green?"

"Cause its an awesome color." Scorpius, Regulus and Luna said.

Sirius just pouted some more.

**exploded high above them.**

James grinned, mouthing fireworks to Sirius again.

**Harry kicked off hard from the ground. The cool night air rushed through his hair as the neat square gardens of Privet Drive fell away, shrinking rapidly into a patchwork of dark greens and blacks, and every thought of the Ministry hearing was swept from his mind as though the rush of air had blown it out of his head. He felt as though his heart was going to explode with pleasure; he was flying again, flying away from Privet Drive as he'd been fantasising about all summer, he was going home… for a few glorious moments, all his problems seemed to recede to nothing, insignificant in the vast, starry sky.**

Lily and Luna smiled, it was nice for Harry to be so carefree.

**'Hard left, hard left, there's a Muggle looking up!' shouted Moody from behind him. Tonks swerved and Harry followed her, watching his trunk swinging wildly beneath her broom. 'We need more height… give it another quarter of a mile!'**

_He's gonna be fine, he's gonna be fine_. Lily chanted to herself, common sense was not a good defense against motherly instincts.

**Harry's eyes watered in the chill as they soared upwards; he could see nothing below now but tiny pinpricks of light that were car headlights and streetlamps. Two of those tiny lights might belong to Uncle Vernon's car… the Dursleys would be heading back to their empty house right now, full of rage about the non-existent Lawn Competition…**

Everyone laughed, that would never get old.

**and Harry laughed aloud at the thought, though his voice was drowned by the flapping robes of the others, the creaking of the harness holding his trunk and the cage, and the whoosh of the wind in their ears as they sped through the air. He had not felt this alive in a month, or this happy.**

Everyone smiled, happy for Harry.

**'Bearing south!' shouted Mad-Eye. 'Town ahead!'**

**They soared right to avoid passing directly over the glittering spider's web of lights below.**

**'Bear southeast and keep climbing, there's some low cloud ahead we can lose ourselves in!' called Moody.**

**'We're not going through clouds!' shouted Tonks angrily, 'we'll get soaked, Mad-Eye!'**

"A little water never hurt anyone." Lily muttered, anything to keep her baby safe.

**Harry was relieved to hear her say this; his hands were growing numb on the Firebolt's handle. He wished he had thought to put on a coat; he was starting to shiver.**

Oh, Harry you should be more thoughtful." Lily fretted. Lily didn't notice the amused looks practically everyone was throwing her. She was too worried about Harry. James held her hand tightly; Lily smiled at the sweet gesture, finally feeling a little calmer.

**They altered their course every now and then according to Mad-Eyes instructions. Harry's eyes were screwed up against the rush of icy wind that was starting to make his ears ache; he could remember being this cold on a broom only once before, during the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff in his third year, which had taken place in a storm. The guard around him was circling continuously like giant birds of prey. Harry lost track of time. He wondered how long they had been flying, it felt like an hour at least.**

James traced calming circles on Lily's hand.

**'Turning southwest!' yelled Moody 'We want to avoid the motorway!'**

**Harry was now so chilled he thought longingly of the snug, dry interiors of the cars streaming along below, then, even more longingly, of travelling by Floo powder; it might be uncomfortable to spin around in fireplaces but it was at least warm in the flames… Kingsley Shacklebolt swooped around him, bald pate and earring gleaming slightly in the moonlight… now Emmeline Vance was on his right, her wand out, her head turning left and right… then she, too, swooped over him, to be replaced by Sturgis Podmore…**

Remus paused, expecting an interruption. He waited a few seconds, surprised, normally someone would at least laugh or something.

**'We ought to double back for a bit, just to make sure we're not being followed!' Moody shouted.**

"What! He's mad!" Shouts similar to that were heard around the room.

Remus laughed, there it is.

**'ARE YOU MAD, MAD-EYE?' Tonks screamed from the front. 'We're all frozen to our brooms! If we keep going off-course we're not going to get there until next week! Besides, we're nearly there now!'**

James snorted, "He must really like her, not many people can get away with that."

**'Time to start the descent!' came Lupin's voice. 'Follow Tonks, Harry!'**

**Harry followed Tonks into a dive. They were heading for the largest collection of lights he had yet seen, a huge, sprawling crisscrossing mass, glittering in lines and grids, interspersed with patches of deepest black. **

**Lower and lower they flew, until Harry could see individual headlights and streetlamps, chimneys and television aerials. He wanted to reach the ground very much, though he felt sure someone would have to unfreeze him from his broom.**

"Melodramatic." Luna and Regulus sang softly.

**'Here we go!' called Tonks, and a few seconds later she had landed.**

**Harry touched down right behind her and dismounted on a patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square. Tonks was already unbuckling Harry's trunk. Shivering, Harry looked around. The grimy fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the streetlamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.**

**'Where are we?' Harry asked, but Lupin said quietly, 'In a minute.'**

**Moody was rummaging in his cloak, his gnarled hands clumsy with cold.**

**'Got it,' he muttered, raising what looked like a silver cigarette lighter into the air and clicking it.**

"Hey that's Dumbledore's delluminator!" A couple people exclaimed.

**The nearest streetlamp went out with a pop. He clicked the unlighter again; the next lamp went out; he kept clicking until every lamp in the square was extinguished and the only remaining light came from curtained windows and the sickle moon overhead.**

**'Borrowed it from Dumbledore,' **

"Told ya." Remus said softly.

**growled Moody, pocketing the Put-Outer. 'That'll take care of any Muggles looking out of the window, see? Now come on, quick.'**

**He took Harry by the arm and led him from the patch of grass, across the road and on to the pavement; Lupin and Tonks followed, carrying Harry's trunk between them, the rest of the guard, all with their wands out, flanking them.**

**The muffled pounding of a stereo**

All of the pure-bloods looked confused, but didn't want to interrupt.

**was coming from an upper window in the nearest house. A pungent smell of rotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags just inside the broken gate.**

Lily wrinkled her nose.

**'Here,' Moody muttered, thrusting a piece of parchment towards Harry's Disillusioned hand and holding his lit wand close to it, so as to illuminate the writing. 'Read quickly and memorize.'**

**Harry looked down at the piece of paper. The narrow handwriting was vaguely familiar. It said: **_**The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London**_**.**

Sirius and Regulus paled, what were they doing at their home?

Before any of them had time to process it Remus closed the book with a loud bang and it disappeared. A note appeared instead.

_Now that you are finally finished, I'll come in the morning after you guys sleep for Luna and I'll bring one or two guests._

Remus shrugged and sat up, going towards some doors that had suddenly appeared that led to separate bedrooms. One door said boys and the other said girls.

Everyone followed Remus and went to their respective dorms.

James and Lily hugged before going to bed; both of them went to sleep smiling.

Regulus and Sirius looked at each other worriedly; they didn't want their friends hearing about grimmauld place. Regulus may have family pride and honor but the ancestral home had always bothered him.

Ultimately the majority of them went to sleep worried but a few like Lily and James smiled contently, and all thought fondly of the raven haired teen they would be reading more about tomorrow.

And voila!

It only took forever but I finally updated on this story.

Because I have school and I'm visiting my brother this weekend(not a computer in sight) I will be delayed on the updates for a week or so, these take some time to write and I don't have unlimited time.

But on a happier note I will be bringing in a certain metamorphogis next time and that person will be seventeen too.

Anyways, hope there was enough dialogue.

My next update will be on I Promised You I Would Come Back and will be bigger, better and have drama (it's unavoidable for my plot) and hopefully some good funny bits.

Valve!

Review! Or I will sic Mimi on you (should I bring her in more in the story?)

Bye!


	5. Bad News

I have bad news.

All of my documents have been erased from my computer, everything is gone, including all my one-shots that I was going to publish and my updates for my stories all of which was halfway done. As I have to rewrite everything and that stuff was not exactly fresh in my mind, it will take awhile so my stories are all officially on hiatus. I can't promise to be back soon since I have no way to retrieve anything and this was quite a blow for me, and I don't know how it happened (my dad is the prime suspect) so I will take my leave.

Regretfully signing off for now,

NightTeen

p.s I know how much I personally hate author notes in the middle of a story but I felt it was necessary, I know not everyone reads author bios and I didn't want you guys to think I was simply still procrastinating. Please don't hate me, I know the previous absence had no excuse so I can only offer sincere apologies to those who alerted, favorite, and reviewed. All of that support meant a lot, but I truly can't start rewriting right now and it's going to be very hard for me to start from scratch. I am truly sorry.


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